A series of “harsh review” sessions in the aftermath of the Bledisloe Cup series has reset the Wallabies’ focus ahead of the Nations Championship series, according to Wallabies winger Max Jorgensen.
After a six game unbeaten run against Japan, Argentina and South Africa, the two losses to the All Blacks have allowed the Wallabies to reflect and fix some issues before the Nations Championship.
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“We reviewed those two games pretty hard,” Jorgensen said. “There were some harsh learnings which we definitely needed. But we’ve overcome that now and implemented those learnings into training and going forward with the week.”
Veteran prop Angus Bell concurred: “There were never any questions about our defensive systems. We didn't learn the lessons from the first Test.”
Bell elaborated that the issues the Wallabies faced in their Bledisloe Cup campaign have been addressed and the team is looking forward to applying those lessons against England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Monday (AEDT).
“The training week we had prior to coming over here and also now today has been really good and we’ve actually addressed and fixed those issues,” he added.
“It’s been awesome to get over here. It’s something as a rugby player and as a Wallaby you look forward to all year. Our main focus is on England and we know how classy they are as a team and as individuals.”
The Wallabies camp has received an injection of experience with the selection of 95-Test utility back Kurtley Beale, 37, who hopes to return to the international arena for the first time since 2021.
Fellow Randwick representative Jorgensen said: “Everyone knows what Kurtley has done in his career and what he brings to the squad.”
“I grew up watching him and he was one of my idols,” he added.
Bell was part of the group, alongside try-scoring hero Jorgensen, that recorded a famous 83rd minute victory over England at Twickenham in 2024.
“Two years ago was a pretty special night. It was pretty cool to win at Twickenham, the home of Rugby and to do it in that fashion was pretty cool,” Jorgensen reflected.
Jorgensen is embracing the challenge of taking on Steve Borthwick’s England this weekend and their distinctive playing style.
“Every team plays a bit differently around the world, so we know England likes to kick, likes to box kick, likes to play running rugby as well,” he noted.
The Wallabies will also have to adjust their tackle technique with the new hip drop law put in place from November 1.
“We spoke about it yesterday, as well as the knee drop tackle,“ said Jorgensen, who was sidelined for the second half of the Super Rugby Pacific season in 2025 due to a hip drop tackle playing for the Waratahs against the Hurricanes.
“I have done my ankle in a hip drop before which wasn’t pretty. Having those two laws makes our game safer. We’ve definitely spoken about it and brought in ways that we can work around it and not get penalised.”
As the inaugural Nations Championship enters its final leg - culminating in a finals weekend at Twickenham in late November - Bell said only small margins separated rugby’s top nations.
“It’s very much a tight competition at the top and that’s exciting leading into both the tour and the World Cup next year,” he said.
”There’s no better way to test yourself than coming out to the UK and versing some of the best teams and there’s nothing better than winning a test match for your country against quality opposition.”
