Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is pleased with the growing competition amongst positions as the Super Rugby Pacific season heats up.
All four Australian teams remain in the hunt for finals, with the Queensland Reds sitting in fourth after a gutsy win over the ACT Brumbies.
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It followed a brutal clash between the Western Force and the NSW Waratahs, with the Force grinding out the victory in Sydney.
This delighted Schmidt, with several Australian derbies to follow to finish the year, set to play a big part in Wallabies selections for the Nations Championship.
The Wallabies coach was eager to see the contest grow, speaking after he lent his expertise to the Australia Men’s Sevens program during the week.
“We've seen some really good stuff in the last two weeks, obviously a couple of derbies last week with the Force and the Waratahs, very tight finish there and a tight finish particularly when the Brumbies came back and took the lead in the second half against the Reds there and then the Reds got over the top of them in that last quarter,” Schmidt said on Thursday.
“There's a fair bit of contest amongst the players and they know that the Wallabies coaches are watching and that decisions will be made over the next couple of months.”
Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa has been in the thick of plenty of these battles over his career, returning in time for Saturday’s clash with the Force.
He could feel the rise in intensity with the local derbies as the battle for spots intensifies before Schmidt names his final squad next month.
“It adds a bit more meaning to the game and I think that's great,” Alaalatoa believes.
“I think for us in order to be in those Wallabies conversations, you've got to be preparing well to then go out and play well.
“We can take a lot of confidence from the weeks that we've put together and just looking to transfer that tomorrow to put in a good performance which will then put you in the conversation.”
Schmidt’s farewell as Wallabies coach will begin in Sydney against his old side Ireland, before facing France and Italy.
“I'm looking forward to [the Nations Championship] starting up, I'm looking forward to the playoffs in Super Rugby. I'm still hopeful that over the next four rounds the teams can do well enough and we'd love to get three in [the finals],” Schmidt said.
“We’ll do a little training program with those players who don't make the playoffs, and at the same time, those guys who are in the playoffs, I'm looking forward to seeing them play.”
