Allan Alaalatoa has warned the Lions that the series might be dead, but don’t bank on the Wallabies caving in and allowing a first series whitewash in almost 60 years after their 29-26 defeat in Melbourne.
The last time the Wallabies failed to win a Test in a series against the Lions was in 1966, when they lost 11-8 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and then 31-0 at Lang Park in Brisbane.
It was 23 years before they won a game against the tourists, and a defeat at Stadium Australia would mark only the third time since the end of World War Two that they haven’t won a game in a series, after also going down 2-0 in 1950 and 1959.
Brumbies tighthead Alaalatoa, who is having an injury assessed ahead of the third Test, points out that Joe Schmidt’s side still have plenty of pride to play for in Sydney.
“The Australian way is you never back down. It’s a dead rubber, but we are still going out there wearing a Wallaby jersey, representing our country and representing our family.
“And we want to go out there and put on a good performance that everyone can be proud of. The disappointment that we are feeling now – we will definitely be using that to feed us throughout the whole week.
“It’s our third game in and we want to keep growing and getting better every week. The boys are gutted that we didn’t come away with that win, but look back and see, as a team, we are growing.
“Our performance was a massive step forward since last week. There will be moments where we can look back and learn. We have grown from where we were last year against Wales. We have come a massive way,” he said.
Alaalatoa pointed out that the Wallabies were as good as their opponents, especially in the first half when they raced into a 23-5 lead and looked to be heading towards a series-levelling win.
“We are definitely proud of the effort. And the things we talked about all week – you saw in the first half – to put us in ascendancy and put some good points on the board.
“There were some moments towards the back end of the second half where we lacked accuracy and discipline, and annoyingly, when the Lions got down our end, they were good enough to put points on the board.
“We are going to have to look at our discipline and accuracy around the breakdown. Overall, we are really proud.
“Walking out to warm up, you could see that there was a lot of confidence and belief in the way we started the game.
“And for us to come away in the second half and lose it – it is gutting for the boys when you understand how much work the boys put in. There was a massive crowd that lifted the lads and gave us a lot of confidence,” he added.
