Rugby Championship: Where do the Wallabies go from here?

Finishing bottom of the Rugby Championship for a second year running, the only way is up for Joe Schmidt’s Australia.

While too much can’t be read into the shortened 2023 tournament due to the World Cup in France, this season’s Rugby Championship was the full six rounds.

One narrow win in Argentina was the only thing Wallabies fans had to cheers about, as Schmidt’s side lost the other five games to finish with the wooden spoon.

Here’s a look at the 2024 Rugby Championship and where the Wallabies go from here.

Table a fair assessment

They say the table never lies and that’s probably a fair assessment of where the four nations in the Rugby Championship are at in this moment.

South Africa are the dominant force in Test rugby right now and seem capable of putting out two different teams capable of winning any game.

A nation with frightening strength in depth and a game plan to suit their strengths, the Springboks were the deserved champions.

Perhaps it would have been interesting to see one of their two clashes with the All Blacks played in New Zealand, with the South African wins taking place in Johannesburg and Cape Town. However, that’s a story for another day.

The only discrepancy in the table might well be second spot, with Argentina unfortunate not to claim the runner-up place after wins against all of their three opponents.

Los Pumas have come a long way and have shown they are a match for any side, especially on home soil.

Whether they will do better than New Zealand at the next World Cup remains to be seen and it’s probably fair to say the All Blacks would still have the edge over Argentina across a 10-game series.

Bringing up the rear was Australia and the table does not make great reading.

The Wallabies scored the fewest point (107) and conceded the most (213), with that defensive stat an issue that continues to plague this side.

Conceding an average of 35.5 points per game in this Rugby Championship makes it incredibly difficult to win Test matches, and defence continues to be an issue Wallabies coaches must address.

European tour will provide crucial information

While there is still plenty of time before the 2027 World Cup, with Australia 8.00 to win it, this summer’s tour to the northern hemisphere will give a big indication on how this Wallabies squad is shaping up in a global context.

Australia head to Europe next month with some huge games at Allianz Arena (Twickenham), the Principality, Murrayfield and the Aviva Stadium.

Looking at those fixtures against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland it’s hard to say what would be a good return for Schmidt’s squad.

Two wins would be the minimum for the tour to be deemed any sort of success in terms of results.

One thing is for sure, is that none of the hosts in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh or Dublin will be taking the Wallabies lightly.

This is still an Australian national side and when they wear the green and gold they can still be a match for any side on the planet on their day.

The issue has been the rarity of those “on their day” performances and increasing that frequency is what Schmidt and his coaching team are desperately working on.