Wallabies must improve as World Cup draw delivers daunting All Blacks clash

A picture


If the Wallabies are to fight their way to a World Cup triumph in front of their home crowds in 2027 they must first face off with arch-rivals New Zealand in the pool stages.The showdown between the traditional TransTasman rivals was set in stone at the tournament’s draw in Sydney on Wednesday night and will likely launch the six-week campaign of the 11th Rugby World Cup at Optus Stadium in Perth on 1 October 2027.The Wallabies will enter their home Cup outside the top seedings, ranked No 7 in the world and coming off a winless European tour for the first time since 1958.“We didn’t have a good November, it’s impossible to hide from that,” coach Joe Schmidt admitted last night of Australian rugby’s first 10-loss season.“It was an emotional rollercoaster of a year.

But there were glimpses … and we can build on those glimpses.”Australia’s other Pool A rivals are Hong Kong China, playing in their first ever World Cup, and Chile, the world No 17.But the men in gold must still finish at least second in their pool, then win in the Round of 16 knockout stages, possibly against a Japan side coached by Eddie Jones, architect of their disastrous 2023 Cup campaign.The Kiwi-born Schmidt welcomed Australia and New Zealand being cast in the same pool for the first time in World Cup history and duelling at the tournament for the first time since 2015.“It’s exciting,” the 60-year-old said with a grin.

“New Zealand will be looking at Australia thinking, ‘We know what we’re up against and it’ll be personal’.It’s a Trans-Tasman battle at a World Cup and I think both teams are going to love it.”The winner of the match will likely top Pool A, and set up a quarter-final with South Africa, should the reigning World Cup champions top Pool B as expected, pitted as they are against underdogs Romania, Georgia, and world No 10 Italy.Aside from Australia v New Zealand, the draw throws together other ancient rivals early too, with Scotland and Ireland meeting in Pool D and England clashing with Wales in Pool F.Mapping the paths and permutations to the finals is something retired Wallabies skipper James Slipper won’t miss.

“The mental battle of a home World Cup is a beast in itself,” the veteran said after drawing the pools alongside All Blacks great Dan Carter.“With friends and family in the stands comes expectation.The Wallabies will feel that pressure but if they can deal with it, a home crowd can be really powerful.”And as Japan proved with their shock defeat of South Africa in the first pool game of the 2015 World Cup, rankings count for nothing in a World Cup furnace.With 250,000 international visitors expected to attend RWC 2027 and A$1.

3bn projected to be splashed by travelling rugby fans across the seven host cities, Australian rugby and its fans will come out a winner, regardless of how the Wallabies perform,Although Schmidt will hand over Australia’s World Cup campaign to incumbent coach Les Kiss from mid-2026, he denied there were plans to stay on in any official role,“I’ll be in the stadium watching,” he smiled,“Rugby World Cups are special,Atmosphere builds into a crescendo on match days.

I’m excited it’s only two years away now … but in other ways I can’t wait to not be involved because it’s pretty nerve-racking!”Wallabies fans know how Schmidt feels.After winning World Cups in 1991 and 1999, the code has slipped way behind Australian Rules and rugby league in the affections of fans, sponsors and broadcasters.But winning regularly in 2026 and playing the hard-running, crash-tackling blitzkrieg style Kiss favours could turn fortunes fast.“The challenge is to win seven games straight,” says Slipper.“That takes discipline.

”Schmidt pointed out Australia may have four Tests against New Zealand in 2026 and 2027 before they meet at the Cup, plenty of time to size up and maybe sucker punch their old foes.And there’s a warm-up starting next year too.“In 2026 the Nations Championship will see these 24 teams go head-to-head in preparation for the World Cup,” said the body’s chairman, Brett Robinson.“That’s fabulous for our sport.”Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong ChinaPool B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, RomaniaPool C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, CanadaPool D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, PortugalPool E: France, Japan, USA, SamoaPool F: England, Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe
societySee all
A picture

Labour proposed in opposition how to introduce assisted dying via private member’s bill

Labour proposed while in opposition how to introduce assisted dying via a private member’s bill, suggesting that would still allow “heavy influence” for the government in the process, a leaked document has revealed.The document, seen by the Guardian, proposed a change strikingly similar to the private member’s bill put forward eventually by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater – to limit the change in the law to those who are “mentally competent, terminally ill and have a prognosis of less than six months left to live”.The leak will raise fresh questions over how much government control there has been behind Leadbeater’s bill and comes ahead of a major battle in the House of Lords continuing this Friday, where many opposing peers have tabled hundreds of amendments for debate, which has been seen by some as an effort to filibuster the bill.Because of the number of amendments, ten more sitting days have been assigned to debate but those on the pro-side still fear it will run out of time in the parliamentary session and have been holding private talks in an effort to persuade peers not to tie up the bill using parliamentary tactics.A Labour source opposed to the bill said the leak exposed “a shadow policymaking process, outside of the Labour manifesto, and with no consultation with MPs, unions or members, that sought to evade scrutiny on an issue of huge importance”

A picture

Scott Galloway on the masculinity crisis: ‘I worry we are evolving a new breed of asexual, asocial males’

When his book Notes on Being a Man was released last month, it raced to the top of the bestseller lists. The US author, tech entrepreneur and podcaster explains his theories on dating, crying – and the rise of Donald TrumpIt takes balls to title your book Notes on Being a Man. And, superficially, Scott Galloway could easily be lumped in with a dozen other manosphere-friendly alpha-bros promising to teach young men how to find their inner wolf. He is, after all, a wealthy, healthy, white, heterosexual, shaven-headed, 61-year-old Californian who made his name and fortune as a successful investor and podcaster.But in reality, he is almost the opposite: liberal, left-leaning and surprisingly sensitive

A picture

Quality of migraine care dependent on ethnicity, UK survey finds

People from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to experience worse migraine care and to fear discrimination because of their condition, a survey by a leading UK charity has found.Migraines are characterised by a severe headache, alongside other symptoms including dizziness, numbness and vision problems. About one in seven people in the UK are affected by the condition.The representative survey of 2,200 people by the Migraine Trust found that 23% of mixed-ethnicity, 19% of Asian, and 16% of black respondents said their ethnicity had negatively affected their care – citing poorer treatment and even racism – compared with only 7% of white respondents.Black people were also more likely to fear discrimination or a negative effect on their career owing to migraines, at 37%, compared with just over a quarter (26%) of white respondents

A picture

Two in five teenagers in England and Wales ‘abused’ in intimate relationships

Two in five teenagers in intimate relationships say they have experienced emotional or physical abuse, including control, pressure or violence, according to a survey in England and Wales.“Teenage years are often when children first begin to explore romantic relationships,” the report says. “At their best, these can bring joy and companionship and teach important lessons about trust.“But for too many, they are marked instead by control, pressure or violence – experiences that can undermine a young person’s safety and affect their daily life.”The online poll, which asked 11,000 13- to 17-year-olds about their experience of violence in teen relationships, was carried out by Savanta on behalf of the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), a government-backed charity that works to prevent children from becoming involved in violence

A picture

Numbers leaving A&E without treatment triples in six years

The number of people in England walking out of A&E without treatment has tripled in the past six years, new figures show.Analysis of NHS data by the Royal College of Nursing shows that a rise in demand for urgent hospital care and long waits has led to what it describes as a “shocking” rise in the number of patients leaving emergency departments untreated.Between July and September 2025, more than 320,000 people left A&E without being treated – a more than threefold increase from the same period in 2019, when just under 100,000 people walked out untreated.Most left in frustration at waiting so long. The RCN’s analysis also found that over the same period, there was a 90-fold increase in the number of patients waiting in excess of 12 hours, from 1,281 in 2019 to 116,141 in 2025

A picture

Rape victims in England and Wales to be protected from ‘serial liar’ trope in legal shake-up

Rape victims will no longer be depicted as serial liars in courtrooms in England and Wales as part of the biggest shake-up “in a generation”, the Guardian can reveal.New measures will stop the “profound injustice” of victims being questioned, sometimes without warning, about past rapes that they have reported to the police, said David Lammy, the justice secretary.Lammy, who on Tuesday announced jury trials would be scrapped for cases where sentences are likely to be less than three years, said too many rape victims left the criminal justice system feeling like they had been put on trial, with defence barristers using sensitive details of past relationships and abuse to discredit them.He said: “That is a profound injustice, and it has driven far too many women and girls out of the justice system altogether. This must stop, and our new reforms will ensure that survivors are not demonised for the abuse they have suffered