Rory Arnold and Adam Coleman’s mammoth lock pairing has proved its value in recent Tests, but Coleman says there’s more where that came from.
The pair have both staked a claim on their starting spots, after a season of constant change in the second row, surpassing their more senior counterparts.
With Arnold just seven Tests into his Wallabies career and Coleman one ahead, the duo is shouldering added responsibility with ease, their selection paying off with 13 lineout wins against Wales.
Coleman has relished taking the lead in the lineout, his calling praised by captain Stephen Moore after the Wales win, looking forward to more chances to come.
“As a lock you always enjoy lineouts, it’s like a hooker and props talking about scrums all the time,” he said.
“We’re constantly talking about lineouts and how we’re going to improve and how we’re going to attack different opposition and different shapes.
“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and I really feel like I thrive in that situation.” - Adam Coleman
It wasn’t just the set piece where Arnold and Coleman shone, playing vital roles in the lead up to Bernard Foley’s second half try, showing off their running skills throughout the game.
Forward fluency is something the Wallabies have lacked in the past, but the recruitment of skills coach Mick Byrne seems to be paying off.
Coleman said more of a running role was a welcome addition to his game, with that element just the beginning for the rookie pairing.
“We’re really enjoying the opportunity to run the ball and run those hard lines and set up a platform for our shape and hopefully off the back of that we’ll capitalize on those opportunities.
“We love to be physical, we both love to run the ball and it’s something we work very hard on this week,” he said.
“Last game against the All Blacks, our shape wasn’t that great so it’s something we’ve worked very hard on this week and I thought we improved [against Wales] but we’ll look forward to the next game to improving any more.”
All of the Wallabies’ Spring Tour Tests will be broadcast LIVE on beIn Sports and streamed LIVE on Foxtel Go (for Foxtel subscribers).
