Joe Schmidt explains Wallabies team selection vs Argentina | Wallabies Press Conference

Joe I'm happy to start then um let's go with the captain Harry Wilson what's stood out leadership wi about him particularly sort of coming off throwing him into the deep in there the second half that spring box game in Perth uh yeah Harry's been really good for us um and I think he's LED himself really well uh he he has a natural um propensity to express himself well um but with very few words and I I don't think that we want to be doing too much talking it's it's about the actions that is going to deliver um and lead lead from the front effectively Harry son that was you know in doubt flow first couple of games with a broken arm how have you seen him grow in Camp since being back here and back in a while his environment after missing last year yeah again I was disconnected from last year obviously but I've I found him to be incredibly coachable um committed to his to his craft and um and he's contributed really positively in the in the overall team environment and just on debutant H sh um a guy that's been around a lot of these camps but now get you shot what do you like about H and what sort of different Dynamic can to this backline he he is a massive team man uh he he he's warmed up for every single test we've played so far uh without getting a run at all um he he has contributed to other people being as prepared as we could have them and and it's great that he's got the opportunity now to prepare himself to go out and um you a really big arena um where the expectations are going to be high and um and and the pressure is going to be just as high particularly you know in terms of uh Augustine cev's um potentially his last game by the sound of things and um you know having brought a few different teams here to Argentina they're very much emotionally connected as a group and and to the support that they get in the arena Jo someone like a Harry is he a shortterm option as all's captain or or could he potentially go on run and make this his own yeah it's really hard to say um just because we are where we are with the with the balance of personnel we have at the moment and and even the uh experience or lack thereof as particularly in terms of being Captain um at this level there are other guys who um you know we'll we'll help him lead his way around the field as well there there's guys who've been provincial provincial captains or or or super Club captains and there are guys who uh who have accumulated a few more tests than Harry but uh in terms of the way he's LED himself and you know sometimes it's a balance about a guy playing really well in his position and you just want him to stay focused on what he's delivering really well rather than distract them with a another responsibility and then sorry there there's other guys you've mentioned there's two Barby captains like Jake and Tate and so forth you made mention of Harry about you know actions over words is that actually what like is that a big thing for you at the moment that that you just want the talking on the field and nothing else because there could have been more obvious pcks um yeah I'm not sure about obvious picks in internally anyway um we're pretty happy with the selection amongst the coaching group and um that some some of the coaches would know Harry better than I do um and even talking to some of the players about who who would be best to step up um you know there was a lot of confidence around Harry uh Jake has played really well for us and his focus on making sure that he continues to do that um he also talks up some incredible miles in the game his his ability to get to a ball and then get to the next and get to the next and and we just don't want to break that Rhythm uh for Jake and there's a there's a few other guys who as I said before they they're playing well um they're they're in a a really good Rhythm and we don't want to to break that because collectively again there's there's changes and and there's a bit of continuity now and I'm hoping that that continuity will um you know will allow the performance to be a little bit more cohesive Joe uh you're playing in L Plata stud anes gr there it's quite narrow from from memory and it's going to Chuck rain has that has that affected your plans in terms of the line out and the way you want to play yeah it's it's a little bit like the the Perth week um at the moment we we at a smashing week all week trained um to be fine weather fast and then suddenly you know but but we've seen the forecast from from the start of the week and it's it's said that there's rain Friday Saturday so um yeah it will affect it to a degree the the field is also shorter um so you know even with your kicking game if you're if you're kicking long down the middle or um you're kicking into that angled into the corners because of the rain um then you're just going to have to be really accurate with that as well um also obviously Tel's back which is marvelous um after the sad passing of his father um can you just take us through obviously the decision for tanella to start as opposed to Allan who has led the team the last two tests Joe just why maybe the decision for tanella to start yeah it's it's a really tough decision because Allen has played well for us and he brings a a calm leadership to the group but at the same time when you're not in the starting 15 tend to get less reps at training Ellen's already got a pretty good rhythm with us tanella has been away so for tanella to get the best entry into the game uh we just felt that it was better for him to start you can also control his minutes a little bit more easily as well um you know if if if he's coming off the bench it's a little bit harder to know uh when to put him on whereas we we'll get an indication and and have no hesitation um helping uh with with alen coming off the bench so we feel like that that was just the best way to do it in terms of reintroducing Nella and just uh the final question for me on on props Joe uh J slipper obviously uh he's so near that that that Milestone with uh was he close to to getting in that starting 15 or or on the bench or did you just think you know he's been through a fairly tumultuous and amazing time as well well let's give him a bit of a spell yeah I I had the discussion with uh with slips kind of a couple of weeks ago really he he was joining us late um uh after his new addition and and that's pretty exciting for him so he's had enough excitement for one week I think um and uh again he's come in and helped other guys prepare really well cuz because he is such a team orientated Squad orientated player um so we that that was already probably a preconceived plan to be honest thanks Jo Joe um hi there uh T mcder yesterday was talking about the narrow approach that you've taken and how he wasn't used to it and he didn't feel the Super Rugby teams played that way I'm wondering if you've noticed that they're taking a bit longer than you might have thought to adapt do you see that there is a a big change in tactics from what the Super Rugby teams are and are you happy with the kind of progress that the teams are making putting into to play what you're trying to do with them yeah I probably just don't understand narrow Tony if you could Define that for me in terms it was kind of his his talk about that that that um I've not got the exact quote here just but I can grab it um he's saying that it's a different a different way they want to attack um he said we play a very expansive game and Joe's plan for us is pretty narrow when we're narrow that's a width we want to attack so it's very direct and a skillful game plan at the line our adjustment period is probably not quite where we need it to be in regards to how we play Super Rugby and how we want to play here because it's very different to how every Super Rugby team plays I'm just kind of wondering if you do think it's very different to how they've been playing at Super Rugby whether you've kind of trying to change that up and whether they are adjusting to it um I I mean they t word Tes words of M yeah yeah no and I I think that gives it a bit of context um to to understand I think one of the things is that um we're pretty expansive against Wales and and Georgia um I I think we um we were pretty Keen to get some width into our game against South Africa in the first one um but it was pretty torrential rain it was wet in Melbourne as well in the second world test so yeah we we haven't exactly been blessed with uh the sort of weather that lends itself to expensive rugby I think one of the things around playing South Africa the last couple of weeks was around the width if you if you stand wide by the time you've made two passes they land on the second pass receiver and they make your life very difficult for you so um if you can tighten up your passing force them to come in toward you and then try to play around them or try to play through through them I I think you just give yourself a better chance of not being knocked over by big men coming forward at at high speed um particularly even through the middle of the field with guys like Jesse Creo and Damen Dand um even Lano arm that the big men who had hard and it's not mentioning the the guys like step the toy and the like so if you if if you're going to start throwing wide passes that they land on you with you're going to get knocked around pretty quickly it's a it it's such a different level from Super Rugby of I've coached a number of years of Super Rugby and and a lot more years of of test rugby and um if if if you think you can just supplant one way of playing into a into a test aren or I think there's a degree of risk in that I'm not saying that we don't want to play expensively we just probably in the last couple of weeks haven't haven't probably had the conditions and don't look like we're going to get the conditions again this week um are you happy with the adjustment I guess there was a when you started you talked about how you needed to find your Rhythm very very quickly do you do you feel you're on course and that you are finding that Rhythm that the players are learning what they need to learn at the speed you want them to yeah I think if you talk to any coach that AR impatient they want uh they want things adopted quickly understood quickly and and delivered even faster so there is a process a process to that particularly when you know we have had a lot of changes from game to game we are trying to to increase the the probably the breadth and depth of our player pool because um we we know that you know no matter how hard you try if you lose a couple of players in one particular position you immediately become vulnerable if you haven't built that strength and depth and um you know we're trying to probably cover a number of bases um at the same time you know grow the way we G the the game we play but also grow the the strength and depth of the players who are able to play that game and um and then you're also in a competition with three of the four uh semi-finalists from the World Cup last year um so you're up against very tough opposition to try to implement anything that is new last one on Long there sorry one more on that um 15 debutants in 2024 um and you you talk just there about growing the strength and depth um Eddie Eddie Jones when he came in it was all about a smash and grab at the World Cup and then he shifted to 2027 with yourself what's the end game in your mind is it British and Irish lines because obviously that's where contract goes but what's what are you building the strength and depth towards is it that or is it the World Cup or do you have like a goal in mind for why why all the changes why the the growing of the base yeah some some of the changes Tony have been enforced so uh they haven't all been by Design they've been by demand really but um it we we are and I know it's paradoxical but we're trying to take a long-term view with a short-term Focus um we're trying to win um a test match on Saturday but but we're also trying to take a long-term View and invest in in the development of a number of players that we believe will be able to provide a a a base um of players for uh the Wes through to the Lions and through to that 2027 World Cup which is which has to be part of any any long-term planning um because it it's going to be a a massive um opportunity to showcase the game and promote the game and be really competitive in the game um and in Australia itself thanks go anything in the room um yes here can I one sorry we're just running out of time we got to get Jo and there's some guys in the room fair enough we can take one mil sorry yep yep oh I was just going to say like um you mentioned about the hum is playing in the semifinal I mean historically Australia they' always done well against Argentina but do you arrive sort of in this match as very much The Underdogs I mean you know they've got that win over New Zealand you know things sort of changed I suppose in that regard yeah it's not something that I overly focus on I think externally it's people have perceptions of how the game might go and and who might be favorite and who might not be um I did have a chat to Felipe conomy a little bit earlier I'd know Felipe well and and I think we're both pretty pragmatic as coaches we're just trying to trying to win the moments during the week that we need to invest in and and then try to be as competitive as we can be on Saturday and the perceptions externally we we try not to be too affected by them um o obviously Argentina won in Australia last year and and and got further into the World Cup obviously than than than Australia did so in in recent times um even in terms of their competitiveness against the All Blacks I um while the All Blacks Got Away on them in the first half uh in in their second game it was 7 all in the second half and and to to spend a half that was that was seven all with uh what was a pretty rampant all black team I thought was was an indication of just how formidable the the Puma are currently