Coach Joe Schmidt has called on Wallabies hopefuls to make a statement in the final weeks of Super Rugby Pacific as the British & Irish Lions countdown begins.
Schmidt spent the afternoon in Melbourne sharing ideas with premiership-winning Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
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The pair shared leadership and literacy advice around how to get the best out of their respective squads, with a big period on the horizon for the Wallabies.
“You're not in a contest, so there's nothing needs to be hidden, or no IP that needs to be hidden, and he's such a good grounded bloke that it's very easy to talk about people and sport as much as anything, rather than any strategic advantage that a team might be trying to get,” Schmidt told reporters.
"We spoke about how we try and keep environments positive and keep a growth mindset. It is hard to be successful long-term in an environment. I think he's done a great job here, obviously.
"I did similar things when I was coaching in Ireland, coaching in the UK, even coaching in France; you are always looking for ideas. Going in and out of Arsenal, for example, you are always looking to try and chat to people like Arsene Wenger and trying to find out how he built such a successful environment.
"...We spoke about some books we read lately. Some of them were performance-related books and some were books you use to escape the manic environment we live in – easy books to escape on planes and distract ourselves when there is so much going on in your head."
Schmidt has been impressed with the form in Super Rugby Pacific, with all four teams in the finals hunt heading into the final month.
This weekend kicks off a crucial period of matches, with a pair of Australian derbies headlining the round.
With teams entering into must-win territory for their finals hopes, the former Irish boss was interested in how they would lift to the occasion.
“Once you get to those big playoff games, that's the highest level they play outside of Test football so you want to add a little bit of extra weight onto those performances,” he admits.
“I think there was a really good upsurge from the Brumbies last week. Anyone can get caught in Fiji like the Reds did…Those things can happen, but those two teams are in the top four. The Force and the Waratahs aren't too far away, so they're going to be really competing to try to get that next leg up.
“Our teams play each other, so we'd love to get them all in. They're going to be fighting for places, just as the Kiwi teams are.”
In terms of prospects within Super Rugby Pacific, Schmidt also confirmed James O’Connor remains firmly on the radar.
The Crusaders' playmaker is set to be thrust into further responsibility with Taha Kemara out for the season.
"I've talked to James and we had a really good chat," Schmidt added.
"With James, he's still playing in our local comp, and he's not based currently in Australia, but I don't think that precludes him.
"He's a little bit closer to home and I think to continue to challenge himself, he took the Crusaders opportunity because at the Reds, you've got Tom Lynagh playing there, you've got Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, and they're a couple of guys really on the upswing.
“…James, he would bring experience back into the group, a little bit of versatility in that he's played 12 in his career as well,”
