After last weekend’s surprise 12-21 defeat to Wales at Ballymore in Brisbane, Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp remains upbeat about the direction the team is heading in, with a chance to right “some wrongs” against the same foe before the Rugby World Cup.
Yapp has called on some big gun stars to start for the Wallaroos in Friday’s second Test against the Welsh at North Sydney Oval. Try-scoring phenomenon Maya Stewart returns from injury on the wing, while former Australia captain Piper Duck starts at blindside.
Those inclusions come as a major boost to a side looking to make amends, having gone down by nine points in tough conditions last time out. Australia struck first through Annabelle Codey at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium before a 35-minute lightning delay early into the Test.
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Wales took control on the scoreboard after Nel Metcalfe crossed for a double. Another Wales try early in the second half, to centre Hannah Jones, was a key moment as the Wallaroos trailed by nine for most of the match.
Handling errors in tough conditions was ultimately the Wallaroos’ kryptonite, as they suffered their first-ever loss to the Welsh on Australian soil. With one more match to play before the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the Wallaroos are hungry to bounce back.
“There’s no question we were really disappointed, more so with the performance last week than the result because we didn’t perform the way we… would expect from ourselves. As players and coaches we were all disappointed,” Yapp said.
“We’ve reviewed this week. For us being able to right the wrongs from last week and to develop and to make sure we’re getting ourselves right and sorted going to the World Cup is really important.
“If you lose last week is one thing but if you don’t learn from it then it’s a double-whammy, isn’t it? There were so many learnings.
“Yes we much would’ve preferred to win, obviously, but there were so many learnings there from a playing group that we can take forward if we’re put in those situations again.”
Stewart starting on the right wing was the big talking point out of the Wallaroos team naming this week, as the 25-year-old is already the most prolific try-scorer in team history. The speedster crossed for a try in seven consecutive matches to round out the 2024 campaign.
Teenager Waiaria Ellis drops to the bench to accommodate for Stewart’s inclusion in the run-on side, while NSW Waratahs flyer Desiree Miller has been named on the left edge. Rounding out the outside backs as 10-Test fullback Caitlyn Halse.
“It’s awesome to have Maya back. Obviously she’s a really good player but she brings loads of energy as a person as well to the group,” Yapp explained.
“Having her back in and training and available this week has been great.”
With regular Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu out with an injury, Yapp has turned to Emily Chancellor to lead the side once again. It’s safe to say this team isn’t lacking in the leadership department, with a couple of former Australia captains in the side.
Michaela Leonard is back in the starting side at lock, and Duck has been named in the backrow along with Chancellor and Tabua Tuinakauvadra. Following a tough run with injuries, Duck has impressed with limited opportunities in Wallaroos gold in 2025.
“Obviously losing [Palu] to injury at the moment to injury… Piper does bring you that ball carry which [Palu] also brings,” she added.
“It just gives us a slightly different makeup to that backrow.
“It’s massive because we know that as a team, where we sometimes struggle is the lack of Test matches in games compared to, especially in the northern hemisphere.
“To have players starting to really build that senior experience now and some leadership is really important and they’re leaders on field but they’re also some of our leaders off field.”
