A six-Test losing streak was put squarely into perspective for the Wallabies, as they took time out to visit Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Hospital.
The group spent close to an hour at the hospital on Thursday, playing games and talking with the children and their parents.
Wallabies back Bernard Foley said the battles the children faced dwarfed any on-field struggles.
“A lot of the kids have been in there multiple times,” he said.
“Their resilience and ability to keep smiling and keep fighting gives us a lot of perspective of what we do.
“We’ve got to enjoy what we get to do because there’s a lot of people out there doing it tough.”
For some, it was the first smile on their child’s face all day after another two-week stay in hospital and Foley said that reminded the group of the influence they can have, even in just one trip.
“It’s very small in what we can do in their challenges and their crosses that they bear,” he said.
“It’s something we enjoy doing and just to see the kids smile, to hear from the parents how excited they were for us to be there...is something that gives us a lot of perspective but also satisfaction if we made a difference it’s all worthwhile.
“Kids take a special part in our hearts and our lives.
“It’s never good to see kids suffering but to see the resilience they show, their toughness and how hard they fight and they’re always very quick to put a smile on their face and have a chat.
“It’s just a small gesture for us but hopefully it makes a big difference to them in their struggles.
“I think everyday’s quite similar for them in here so if we can brighten up their day for five minutes, 10 minutes, let them open up, it’s something that we’re more than happy to do.”
The Wallabies take on the Springboks on Saturday night.
