Wallabies halfback Will Genia reckons it won’t be long before Australia are able to match the might of the All Blacks – but only if they develop a stronger mindset.
Former All Blacks coach Graham Henry sparked controversy on Saturday when he labelled the current Wallabies team the worst Australian outfit he’s ever seen.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was under the pump last month following six straight losses, but the team have since rebounded with wins over South Africa and Argentina.
The All Blacks remain the best team in world rugby – and by a huge margin.
The reigning world champions showcased their dominance in this year’s Rugby Championship, securing the title with two rounds remaining.
It’s left Australia, South Africa, and Argentina to fight for second spot.
The Wallabies have beaten NZ just three times from 28 matches since 2008.
In this year’s Rugby Championship, the Wallabies were thumped by their arch rivals 42-8 in Sydney, before losing 29-9 in Wellington.
The Wallabies will get another chance to test themselves against the All Blacks when they face off in Auckland on October 22.
Genia said the Wallabies remained firm in their desire to become as good as the All Blacks, but he conceded they would need a shift in mindset to achieve that goal.
“A lot of the times you go into those games thinking or knowing it’s going to be hard, or thinking about recent history,” Genia said.
“It’s something where you have to forget all that stuff, come in, trust the work you’ve done, go out there, and not let the anxiety take over.
“It’s about building mental toughness and resilience.
“If you can do that, you give yourself more of a shot against them, because they’re a side that the moment you drop your guard or you make a mistake, they capitalise on it.”
Before confronting the All Blacks again, the Wallabies face tough away assignments against the Springboks in Pretoria, and Argentina in London.
Genia starred in last Saturday’s 36-20 win over Argentina in Perth, scoring two tries in a man-of-the-match performance.
“My wife has been giving it to me, because the last time I scored a try for the Wallabies was in 2013,” Genia said with a smile.
“I messaged her straight after the game and said, ‘Yeah, there’s two there for you’.”
Genia’s career was put on hold earlier this year while he dealt with a troublesome knee injury.
Some experts told Genia he would require major surgery.
Instead, he underwent a minor procedure and then rested for several months to let it heal.
The 28-year-old said the time away from the game helped rekindle his hunger.
And playing alongside former Reds teammate Quade Cooper in the Wallabies’ set-up has been another big bonus for Genia during the Rugby Championship.
“He’s probably one of my favourite players to play with,” Genia said.
Nick Turnbull
Roar Guru
Don't we all?
Speedy G
Guest
Actually what he said about mindset may not be far off. Look at the Argies vs Nz. I would be interested in how many Argies would make a combined NZArg 23.
Dontcallmeshirley
Guest
I agree the Argentina were poor. However Australia's defence was much improved. It was poor defence that lost the England series so the improvement is important.
chucked
Guest
Blinky..in answer to one of your questions...the Opposition were not that good..in fact they were woeful...really woeful. While effort and scorelone were much improved (thanks in great part to Genia and Cooper) Argentina played abysmally. they had no ideas, seemed lacking in. cohesion and simply wasted a huge amount of the ball they had
Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
Guest
Actually a number of things that impressed me about the win. One being we had not much more than 30 percent possession and scored 5 tries. Another we had players in the bin for 20 minutes and still managed to defend pretty well.Lack of possession and 2 yellows is nothing to sing and dance about but I found it interesting none the less. For me though it's still a case of 'have the Wallabies improved or was the opposition not all that good'? Clearly, ATM, all teams would struggle against this AB team, so it's hard to gauge where we're at.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Talent / Ability defines your potential i.e your upper limits Attitude / Mindset (to training, playing etc) defines what percentage of your potential you reach. At their best i.e the Wallaby upper limit they are at 70% of the NZ upper limit.
Jeffrey
Guest
Mindset is not the only thing, you need the talent as well, and currently very few Wallaby players would make a combined NZAC 23.
P2R2
Roar Rookie
....Wallabies halfback Will Genia reckons it won’t be long before Australia are able to match the might of the All Blacks – but only if they develop a stronger mindset..... Won't be LONG, how LONG is WON'T BE LONG Mr Genia, 2 wins does not a winter rugby season make...yes the WBs are improved and played a good game against ARG but on the stats alone, ARG should have won the game, they just didn't convert them. The mindset is already imprinted on the WBs via Chieka and his philosophy of how to play the game, and therein lies the problem for the WBs. Still don't rate Cheika as a Coach, but who else is there in Aussie???