Tom Curry, England’s flanker, is clear that his team must not make excuses as they gear up to face Australia at Twickenham on Saturday. He stressed the importance of players stepping up and showing more consistency, particularly after England’s recent difficulties.
England has lost their last three Tests, all against New Zealand, after giving up a lead in the final moments. They also narrowly lost to France in their last Six Nations match. As they head into the game against the Wallabies, England has managed to win only four out of their nine Tests in 2024.
Last weekend, England was leading by eight points late in the game against the All Blacks, only to endure a heartbreaking 24-22 defeat at Twickenham. Coach Steve Borthwick faced criticism for being too cautious in substituting half-backs Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith while his team was ahead, but Curry stated that the players, not the coaching staff, were responsible for this latest setback.
“We can’t be making excuses. As players, we have to step up and be more consistent,” Curry asserted. The 54-times capped back-row player added: “Discipline-wise, we let ourselves down. At halftime, we had conceded one penalty, two at the 60-minute mark, and by the end, it had escalated to seven in total. If we could fix this all the time, sport would be easy. That’s the beauty of it – we have to find a way. Nothing is coming from outside that we haven’t heard. We’ve received all the right messages from the coaches. We as players need to step up. There are no excuses.”
Australia has faced challenges recently, losing five out of their six matches in this year’s Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship under the guidance of former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt. Schmidt took over after Eddie Jones led the team through a disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign, where the Wallabies were eliminated in the pool stage. With only a few games left, Schmidt has a limited window to revitalize the Australian team before next year’s three-Test series at home against the British and Irish Lions.
This month, Australia will compete in additional Tests against Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, marking 40 years since their famous 1984 Grand Slam. However, the chances of achieving another clean sweep against the ‘Home Nations’ seem unlikely. Rugby Australia’s chief commercial officer, James Durbin, stated on Wednesday that Schmidt is already “having an influence” on the team.
“In his view, it’s about progress rather than focusing on wins and losses right now,” Durbin explained during the launch of the 2025 Lions shirt by Canterbury. “It’s not about looking at the four matches in November and saying we need to win three, four, or two; it’s more about how we play the game and ensuring we continue to improve as we look ahead to July next year. However, Durbin emphasized: “We’re a proud nation of sporting fans and athletes, and we don’t step onto the pitch to settle for second place.”
The team for the upcoming match features rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who will be making his debut for the Wallabies. The lineup is as follows:
Tom Wright; Andrew Kellaway, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Dylan Pietsch; Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; Harry Wilson (capt), Fraser McReight, Rob Valentini; Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost; Taniela Tupou, Matt Faessler, Angus Bell.
Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen.
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL).
