Bledisloe Cup: Wallabies’ Jeremy Williams and Filipo Daugunu target discipline and defence against All Blacks

Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says the Wallabies are focusing on dual ‘D’s of discipline and defence as they hunt a first win over New Zealand in five years on Saturday. Australia’s 33-24 loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday condemned the Wallabies to yet another year without the Bledisloe Cup, with frustrations flaring for the second time in as many games over refereeing issues. The Rugby Championship is not a lost cause just yet, although the latest loss to the All Blacks means they need a win in Perth coupled with Argentina downing South Africa on Saturday night. The Wallabies lost the penalty count 14-7 in their 28-26 loss to Argentina in Sydney and 15-10 to the New Zealand last weekend; they also lost the turnover count 18-17 and 15-7 respectively in those two games. While the referee was not to blame for Australia’s slow starts in either game, which left the Wallabies in a first-half hole, Williams acknowledged the need to get on the referee’s good side and take more care with the ball. “Stop giving the ball away, control what we do on our side of the ruck, whether that’s attacking or defensive, and listen to the ref’s calls,” Williams said when asked what the Wallabies could do to address their recent issues. “If he says ‘hands off the ball’ try and be aware, take an extra step off the ruck, you’re giving officials good pictures at that time. “The turnovers as well, making sure we’re controlling what we can do on the side of the ruck, whether that’s good ball placement or getting our cleaners in and giving pictures to the referee, it will go a long way.” Italian referee Andrea Piardi was criticised by pundits and fans alike after the Wallabies’ Eden Park loss, but Williams said his side needed to cut down on penalties around the ruck. “We’ve all been playing rugby for a while now, you know the rules of the game, and you’ve got to listen out for the ref,” he said. “If he’s telling you to get off the ball, you get off the ball, and you’ve got to be disciplined in that time. “A lot of it is seeing pictures and reacting to it, and then you’ve also got to listen to the referee and what he wants to do, and how he’s officiating a game.” Wallabies winger Filipo Daugunu said they were working with assistant coach Laurie Fisher to find defensive improvements after a staggering 40-11 missed tackle count against them in Auckland. “We need to get more aggressive in our defence and also contact-wise, try to slow the breakdown more so we can set up the defence line,” Daugunu said. “He needs more width from not only the backs, but all the 15 so the more we press at them, the more we can get more gain-line from us, rather than gain-line on us.”