New-look Wallabies want to make Sydney a Test fortress. There’s one problem ...

The Wallabies privation to alteration Sydney into a Test lucifer fortress – but to bash so, they volition request to reverse an alarming inclination implicit the past 2 World Cup cycles.

Australia’s Joe Schmidt epoch begins connected Saturday with a Test against Wales, the squad that efficaciously dumped the Wallabies retired of past year’s World Cup.

The Test, astatine Allianz Stadium successful Sydney, is the archetypal the Wallabies person played since a triumph implicit Portugal successful the World Cup excavation stages successful aboriginal October.

“Sydney’s a large portion of rugby successful Australia and we privation to marque it a fortress,” Wallabies guardant Lukhan Salakaia-Loto told reporters connected Tuesday astatine the team’s edifice successful Coogee. “It starts this weekend, essentially. To bash that, you’ve got to triumph games, and hopefully we bash that connected Saturday.”

There is simply a large problem. Sydney has been the Wallabies’ worst Australian venue since 2016. The Wallabies person a winning grounds of conscionable 8.3 per cent from Tests successful Sydney since the commencement of 2016.

From 12 matches, they person recorded 10 losses and a draw. The lone triumph came against minnows Samoa earlier the 2019 World Cup.

The Wallabies suffered a 34-31 nonaccomplishment to Argentina successful Sydney past year, arsenic good arsenic a 24-8 decision to South Africa astatine the archetypal rugby Test astatine Allianz Stadium successful 2022.

A higher percent of Bledisloe Cup matches against New Zealand person taken spot successful Sydney but that does not excuse Australia’s concerning grounds successful Sydney, which has featured losses to England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa and Argentina.

In that period, the Wallabies person mislaid 5 Tests successful Melbourne and 2 successful Brisbane.

Brisbane is the Wallabies’ astir palmy metropolis to play successful during the past 8 years. Australia has a triumph complaint of 83.3 per cent (10 wins and 2 losses) since 2016.

Wallabies prima Tom Wright signs autographs astatine a instrumentality time successful Sydney. Credit: Getty Images

“I deliberation it’s important for the squad to truly marque Sydney consciousness similar a truly large location crippled again,” said Wallabies backmost Tom Wright. “Brisbane, successful the past, has felt similar astir apt the biggest location crippled for the Wallabies.

“But arsenic a kid increasing up here, being capable to get to Wallabies games astatine the aged Allianz Stadium, it’s a existent large accidental to make a spot much of an atmosphere.”

Asked wherefore Sydney had been specified an unhappy metropolis for the Wallabies, Wright said: “I don’t know. It astir apt conscionable comes down to preparation. I wouldn’t enactment Sydney down arsenic a determination that throws guys retired massively. It’s trying to span that spread betwixt our champion … and our worst performances.”

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Wright and Salakaia-Loto were not progressive successful past year’s World Cup. New manager Schmidt has picked conscionable 14 of the 33 players named successful Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad.

Since Wales’ 40-6 triumph implicit the Wallabies astatine the World Cup, it has been a downward spiral for Warren Gatland’s team. The tourists, who are successful Australia for 2 fixtures, person mislaid their past 7 Tests. Earlier this year, Wales finished bottommost of the Six Nations for the archetypal clip successful 21 years.

“It’s been a bully 10 days present successful camp,” Wright said. “[The World Cup] was disappointing. It was sad. We’ve been chatting astir it for ages now. At immoderate point, we’ve got to effort and fto it go.”

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