“I wrote it down probably emblematic of where Australia’s at. And it was the captain that did it.” Ewen McKenzie, on Harry Wilson.
Harry Wilson’s left-foot grubber in Sydney was the one moment Ewen McKenzie wrote down. The former Wallabies coach says it showed where Australia are.
McKenzie won 51 caps at tighthead and coached the Wallabies in 2013 and 2014. He said it on Rugby Unity with David Pembroke and Steve Hansen. Australia lost 43-21 in Sydney on Saturday 17 October, after trailing 36-7 at half-time.
Is Harry Wilson the right man to captain the Wallabies? Yes or no in the comments.
Harry Wilson’s grubber, phase by phase
Australia were more than 20 points down in the second half when it happened.
“They played some really good phase play, four or five phases and then it got to Wilson and he decides to grubber, left foot grubber and okay, if the winger got the ball great, it would have been fantastic. But it went into touch, right? So that’s just a turnover.”
He went back to his notes later in the hour. New Zealand threw into the lineout, Australia conceded a penalty, and the All Blacks were back in the Wallabies’ half.
“It wasn’t the time and the place”
“So I thought from a, you know, a leadership perspective that was that’s a problem. We got to try and fix it up… he’s got skill. We know that, but it wasn’t the time and the place. They needed just to hang on to the ball.”
His alternative: keep the ball through the phases until the pressure brings a penalty, then kick to the corner and maul.
Earlier, McKenzie’s complaint had been about Australia kicking the ball to New Zealand without a chase. He made a similar point in September, when he said the backs were not touching the ball on the Argentina tour.
Wilson was hard on his own side after the game. “It’s not good enough from this group,” he told Nine.
Steve Hansen: the captain does not run the game alone
Pembroke turned to Hansen, the All Blacks head coach from 2012 to 2019.
“Leadership starts with yourself. So, you know, if there’s 15 players out there… there’s 15 leaders and and people have got to make decisions.”
“I think it’s um a myth that the captains actually drives the game like there’s a series of people that drive the game and and the captain is just one of them.”
On Hansen’s view, the call to keep the ball in that passage belonged to several Wallabies, and Wilson was one of them.
Steve Hansen on chasing the scoreboard
Hansen put the kick down to the scoreline.
“These guys are they’re proud people. Uh, and they they’re reacting to the scoreboard like they’re not staying in the moment. They’re actually trying so hard they start to do the odd dumb thing or force their hand.”
His fix is a 20-second huddle and a call everyone understands.
“We used to have a call for it when we wanted to just lock things up a bit… And we wouldn’t we wouldn’t do anything that was unnecessary. We'[d] just keep the ball and put some pressure back.”
“Usually led by Richie McCaw or someone like that,” Pembroke said.
Watch for it in the next Wallabies Test. When Australia go a score behind, count the phases before someone kicks.
What Harry Wilson’s grubber says about the Wallabies
One kick did not lose a Test that was 36-7 at half-time. McKenzie’s complaint is that it fitted a pattern: four or five good phases, then the ball given away.
Hansen puts it on the whole leadership group. Both want someone on the field who can say the next ten minutes are for keeping the ball.
Rugby Unity has the full conversation, which also covers Hansen’s case for scrapping the TMO in an earlier episode.
Your turn: the kick or the captain?
McKenzie blames one decision by the captain. Hansen says the whole leadership group should have stopped it.
Wilson’s call, or a team without a lock-it-up plan? Pick one below.
Frequently asked
Who is the Wallabies captain?
Harry Wilson, the Queensland Reds No 8, captained Australia against New Zealand in Sydney on 17 October 2026.
What did Ewen McKenzie say about Harry Wilson?
On Rugby Unity, McKenzie said Wilson’s second-half grubber into touch in Sydney was “emblematic of where Australia’s at”. He said Australia should have kept the ball.
What was the score in the second Bledisloe Cup Test in 2026?
New Zealand won 43-21 at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 17 October 2026. It was 36-7 at half-time.
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