George Gregan has predicted that the England v Australia match on Saturday will be a high-scoring affair and has pinpointed the area in which he believes the Wallabies have made the most significant improvement since Joe Schmidt’s arrival.
Covering various topics in an interview with bookmakers, OLBG, Gregan touched upon subjects such as Max Jorgensen’s favourable comparison, Jonny Wilkinson’s famous drop goal, and the Wallabies’ chances on Saturday.
What does George Gregan think about Joe Schmidt?
- George Gregan claims Joe Schmidt has done “something pretty special” with the Wallabies
- The former Wallaby names the player that reminds him of All Black legend Ben Smith
- Gregan on why England or Australia haven’t won a World Cup in over 20 years
“You saw the impact he had with the All Blacks when he came in,” Gregan said.
“You saw what he did previously with Ireland and before that at Leinster. He coached in France at Clermont. The man knows how to coach, and he’s evolved his coaching.
“There’s a real clarity around how they play and there’s a real deliberate accuracy around what you need to do if you want to play that way.
“The foundations he has laid are very good and we’ve started seeing the results.
“The team knows that they can beat anyone in the world. But the magic is backing it up for a period of time. But they’re knocking on the door of doing that.
“And that’s what I like about it. Even some of the losses this year, they’ve been by very small margins, which means you’re doing a lot of good things.”
What do people think about the Wallabies?
Schmidt appears to have restored a little faith in the national team, a point that doesn’t evade Gregan.
“It’s a national team that people love,” said the 52-year-old. “You can see that now. And the players are really embracing that and that responsibility. And it’s a responsibility, but it’s just a privilege to be representing your country. And they’re really enjoying that. And you can see that they’re wanting to get better.
“They’re not getting too far ahead of themselves, which is important because that doesn’t breed consistency. You just want them to get those back to back wins against quality teams. That matters.
“If you’ve got a memory of closing it out, they can go back to that. I think that’s really important for this group. They are very close, and they’re working hard towards getting there. I think the public can see that. It’s less talk, more action from them, which is really good.”
Gregan compares Max Jorgensen to All Blacks legend Ben Smith
There are plenty of talents leading the Aussie charge at the moment, but none more so than winger Max Jorgensen.
“Max Jorgensen. He’s doing really well. He is very poised and balanced. He is very calm, and he’s very explosive too,” said Gregan.
“I know it’s a big call and I don’t mind getting a bit of grief from my Kiwi fans and friends, but he reminds me a lot of Ben Smith, the former All Black. Ben was underrated and understated, but could play 15, 14, scored a lot of tries, and popped up in the right areas.
“You can just see how he’s getting better and better each game, each year that he’s in international rugby. The big thing I think with everyone going into the World Cup is trying to keep your squad fit and it’s going to be the challenge.”
How can the Wallabies beat England?
England are another side on the up, and they won’t have forgotten about their last-minute defeat to the Wallabies last year.
“I think it’s going to be a really high-quality game. Obviously, the English team wouldn’t have played as this group since the Six Nations.
“But the team did well to win 2-0 in Argentina when players were with the Lions. That says a lot about the depth of the players in England. I think it’ll be tight.
“From our perspective, what I am liking is the growth and development in our set piece. We’ve always been pretty good at line outs. Simon Cron’s done a great job there. And he’s been a bit of an unsung hero. He’s gone about his work quietly, which he likes to do. But they’ve really fronted up and been really solid.
“There’ll always be chat around that because history shows that there have been some bad days in the office with Wallaby teams but that shouldn’t affect this group.
“It can be a high-scoring game. I think it will be pretty similar to last year. I think there’ll be a lot of tries scored.”
Why haven’t England or Australia won a World Cup since 2003?
Neither England nor Australia have picked up World Cup gold since their victories in the late 90s/early 2000s, with England having secured silver on two occasions since, and Australia once. Gregan believes he understands why global success has evaded them since.
“England have been in two finals since 2003. We have been in one. We’ve made the quarterfinals. There hasn’t been consistency between World Cups,” he said.
“I think the consistency in between has been a problem for both teams. England have won only one Grand Slam, in 2016. We last won the Rugby Championship in 2015.
“You’re playing some of the best teams from the southern hemisphere, but we’ve been very inconsistent in between World Cups. That’s where good teams become great teams, through consistency.”
How did Jonny Wilkinson change the way the Wallabies played?
In terms of consistency, there was one player who truly personified the attribute, Wilkinson. The Aussie heartbreaker of 2003 changed the way teams faced England, and the Wallabies were no different.
“Jonny Wilkinson was highly respected everywhere. I remember he came to Australia in 1998 when he was 18. We just knew he was a courageous defender. He could dictate a game with both feet. He had a great kicking game and had an underrated running game,” Gregan said.
“He was actually really dangerous if he ran and passed short. He could steer the game around. That’s how they played, so he adapted to what he needed to do. He was a fantastic player and as we experienced in that final, he had the ability to deliver in the big moments.
“Everyone talks about the field goal, but he made some massive kicks in that game off the tee for goal. He’s Jonny Wilkinson, so that’s what he does. He was incredible. And he was highly revered.
“When I played for Australia, if we went over halfway, we’d probably push the envelope a little bit before the 40 metres line. But then from 40 meters out from your line, you’re probably a bit more disciplined.
“But when you played against Jonny, you probably started being a little bit more conservative from about 55 meters out from your line, because he could hurt you from there. So, you’re kind of always a little bit on the back foot defensively.”
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