Hump Day News – in from the side

Welcome fellow G&GRs, time to put last week behind us and start looking forward to weekend’s game. Will our team get up, or will we suffer the frustration of seeing another score not go the way we want? Personally I think both the Wallabies and ABs might struggle this week. The ABs have got a slightly easier task, not by much as England is starting to find some form and their combinations are starting to work. Ireland will be tough for the Wallabies but, in saying that, they also haven’t looked that good so far this year and while the Wallabies have had some losses, a lot of them were from small moments in the games and if some of them go their way like they did in South Africa for that first game things may work out.

The ‘fatigue’ myth

While I don’t usually agree with a lot on the shouty site, an article here by the editor argues against the idea that one of the problems the Wallabies have is that they’re ‘tired’, and that’s why they’re struggling. As the figures show, less than one-third of the current Wallabies squad has played more than 10 Tests in 2025. Early exits in Super Rugby, where only one Australian side made the semi-finals, meant that the vast majority of the Wallabies only played between 10 and 15 games for their franchises. Some of the actual figures are quite surprising. Billy Pollard has played the most matches (30) this year after playing in 15 Super Rugby matches and starting in eight of 13 Tests. Nick Frost has played 26 matches, including 11 Test starts. The figures below are for the tests they’ve played broken into the main group, the bench players and others who have been part of the team.

So while Joe may be saying that ‘fatigue’ was likely to catch up with them during the end of year tour.“The one thing that does worry me is a bit of fatigue at the end of the tour,” he said in mid-October. “I saw it a little bit last year. I suppose, that after a while you do get fatigued, particularly with the high-octane way that we try to play the game.” adding “So that’s why we’re going to need the squad, and that’s why there may be a little bit of shuffling on the way through.” The figures don’t seem to indicate that it’s as big an issue as what it’s said to be.

Personally, I think one of the biggest issues with the Australian players is the lack of games they play, which means they’re always learning in high stake games and when they make a mistake it has more of an impact, they need more games not less. I’m also not sure the S&C program is as robust as it should be and that it focusses enough on the difference between the different groups of players.

‘Change is the spice of life’: Bell ready for overseas growth as Ulster adventure awaits

Written here by our favourite Nick W on rugby.com.au, Angus Bell will link up with Ulster following the conclusion of the November Internationals. “I’ve had seven really, really good years at the Waratahs,” Bell reflected to reporters on Monday. “I’ve loved my time in Australia. I just felt it was the right time to experience some change. For me, I think change is the spice of life.” However, this weekend it’ll be about the Wallabies saying, “But obviously this weekend leading into it, as an Australian, we have one job and that’s to represent the Wallabies and get the win.”

Bell has had particular reverence for Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter, the Wallaby growing up watching the two Irish props catapult to superstardom under Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell. “Mate, they’re world-class players,” Bell said about the two Irish veterans. While Bell will always be a Wallaby first and foremost, he believes the chance to travel and live in a new part of the world (ie, Belfast) will not only benefit his rugby but also his maturity and development. “It’s all about learning for me, experiencing something different and getting away from Australia briefly, hopefully to come back into the environment would be great.”

Bell has had the sabbatical clause in his contract for a while and this is a chance for him to make use of it. I think this isn’t a bad move for Bell. Working with the Irish and others in an environment where scrummaging is such a big part of how they play will give him some good experiences, and he should come back a lot better player.

‘Got to be better’: Why yellow cards could destroy All Blacks’ Grand Slam dream

Had to put that picture in as I know how it will sweeten the heart of every Australian supporter.

Written here in Stuff by Richard K, the All Blacks need to get their discipline better or they won’t achieve their Grand Slam dream. The yellow cards issued to All Blacks captain Ardie Savea, Leroy Carter and Wallace Sititi have done nothing to clarify the situation when trying to determine the true potential of this team. Winning the Grand Slam isn’t easy and plenty of previous All Blacks teams have failed to roll Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. 1978 was the first to complete the set, but none have ever lost to Scotland and spending 30 minutes with 14 players almost cost the ABs that record.

There’ve been plenty of comments here and elsewhere about how the red card Ireland received caused the fatigue that was a large part of their loss to the ABs in the first game of the Grand Slam tour. The match looked like going the same way as the previous one in Chicago until D-Mac scored a try in the 74th minute and then kicked a vital penalty. The All Blacks were in danger of having another ugly result after the first-ever loss to the Pumas in Argentina in the Rugby Championship.

Scott Robertson and his assistants don’t need to be told their players can’t afford to doze off when they wander into the changing shed for the half time break against England. Having beaten Fiji and the Wallabies in their last two games and starting to gain some cohesion in their play they are starting to look very good. Unlike Scotland, who butchered a magnificent opportunity to celebrate for several days, England will much more cold, calculated and ruthless. When Scotland levelled the scores 17-17 midway through the second half, they lacked the self-belief to complete the assignment, and it is doubtful England will have the same problem.

Getting to the root of the disciplinary issues will loom large in team meetings in the days ahead. When a coach stops the tape during a review session, and asks the offending player for feedback or an explanation, it must be excruciating. But accountability is vital if the All Blacks are to keep the Grand Slam dream alive and win in London. “We will be better for that, we are going to have adversity,” Robertson said as he reflected on the late surge that saved the All Blacks from embarrassment. “A Grand Slam is going to take everything. You are not just going to roll through. We have got to be better, be more consistent and we have to make sure we have self-control.”

The All Blacks, despite having a season of pretty good results, certainly don’t resemble the machines of previous years. When they’re on fire they produce some excellent rugby and could beat any team in the world, even the Boks. But far too often this year they seem to have lost focus, not understood the plan and done dumb things that have backfired on them. For me discipline is a product of things going right, everyone knowing their role and having trust in their team mates to do the right thing when needed. When the discipline gets loose you need to look at those things and see where the gaps are and then fix them. I still think a huge issue at the moment is the lack of international experience in the coaching group and I think that is probably where the trust is a little bit fractured.