Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt admits he’s never seen a scene like Optus Stadium on Saturday as the side suffered an unbelievably unlucky run of injuries to their front row.
Already without Taniela Tupou, the Wallabies lost four front-rowers in the space of a 14-minute period leaving them unable to handle the power of the Springboks pack in a 30-12 defeat.
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Fortunately for the Wallabies, none appear to be long-term but will leave Schmidt and fans wondering what could’ve been after a strong first half left them trailing by two at half-time
It started right before the break when captain Allan Alaalatoa pulled up sore after copping an errand elbow from his team-mate.
The captain failed his HIA and was followed off by Bell, who was sporting a nasty cut over his eye as the two teams headed for the sheds.
Schmidt opted to replace Bell on his return from injury but it led to chaotic scenes when replacement James Slipper went off for a HIA.
Australia played with 14 for a minute after going down to uncontested scrums before eventually returning to 15 after discussions with the referees
Nasser’s removal in the 54th minute for ongoing cramping sealed the unlucky run, leaving Harry Wilson to pack down at prop (with uncontested scrums) and serve as captain with Nic White replaced towards the end of the game.
“It’s very hard to keep up with things when they happen that quickly,” Schmidt admits.
“Some were managed at half-time with Allan and Bell but then you’re skinny and can’t afford to lose another prop which happened to Slips. You know then you’re in trouble and then Nasser kept cramping and we were hoping he’d keep playing but in the end that wasn’t going to be possible.
“I’ve been involved in coaching over 100 Test matches and I’ve never seen that before.”
It was Bell’s return from a long-standing toe issue that derailed his 2023 and 2024 Super campaigns.
“Once he had that cut, we thought it was better to replace him and we’d make the injury replacement, which in retrospect, he could’ve come back on but once he cooled down, I just think it wouldn’t have been the best for his foot,” Schmidt said.
“We never expected to lose Slips who’s one of the most robust players with 140 Tests so that was disappointing for us.”
Schmidt’s woes were compounded when Hunter Paisami limped off the field in the second half, leaving Andrew Kellaway to fill in at centre and Max Jorgensen on for his debut, with Schmidt hopeful it’s just a cork or low-grade MCL.
“He was keen to play on and when you get on of those corks, they’re pretty debilitating and you can’t stretch it out,” he added.
