Bell, speaking ahead of the match, said there were no questions about the Wallabies’ defensive systems. “There was never any questions about our defensive systems,” Bell said. “Stormy (McLeod) has been great for us, and we’ve shown how good our defence can be on our line and throughout a game. I’d say it was down to effort areas, me included.” He described the challenge of slowing down New Zealand’s attack featuring Damian McKenzie, Cam Roigard and Beauden Barrett, adding: “So we did fix it within the game; we’ve just got to make sure we do it for 80 minutes.”
The Wallabies’ win at Twickenham in 2024, sealed by Max Jorgensen’s late try, gives the squad belief they can succeed at the venue. Jorgensen said the experience is valuable. “Two years ago, 2024, was a pretty special night for the whole team. It’s pretty cool to win at Twickenham, the home of rugby. It’s a hard place to win, and to do it in that fashion was pretty cool. But obviously a disappointing one last year; didn’t really go our way, not how we hoped. So want to take those learnings into this week and hopefully put out a really good performance.”
The Wallabies’ 23-man squad is expected to include 15 players from the 2024 victory. Bell said the team must adapt to different opponents. “We’ve just got to be able to change and manoeuvre between teams; England aren’t going to be the same as the All Blacks. Do they suit us more or not? Again, it’s all about how we prepare, how we train, how we play.”