Australia Have 'won A Lot Of Fans Back' - Moore

Australia person won backmost a batch of fans during nan British and Irish Lions Test series, says erstwhile Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore.

Australia were good beaten successful nan first Test, but past came wrong 1 last-gasp Lions effort of winning nan 2nd earlier taking nan last Test 22-12 successful Sydney to forestall nan visitors securing a 3-0 bid whitewash.

Ranked sixth successful nan world, two-time World Cup-winners Australia person been rebuilding aft failing to suffice for nan knockout stages of a Rugby World Cup for nan first clip successful their history successful 2023.

A mediocre nationalist squad and nan continued emergence of rugby convention and Australian rules shot person been factors in a diminution successful liking successful rugby national successful nan country.

But nan Lions, who nan hosts person not beaten successful a bid since 2001, proved popular, pinch nan 2nd Test astatine Melbourne Cricket Crowd played successful beforehand of 90,307, while much than 80,000 watched nan lucifer successful Sydney.

"I cognize it sounds weird because we've mislaid nan series, but I deliberation nan squad will travel retired of this bid successful amended style than erstwhile they came into it," Moore told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"Enhanced reputations individually, and collectively arsenic a team. The group watching those games astatine nan crushed and connected nan TV will beryllium proud of nan measurement nan Wallabies played for a batch of nan series.

"Even though nan Lions won - they deserved to triumph - we've won a batch of fans backmost successful nan past 3 weeks.

"The Test matches and peculiarly a Lions tour, that's our shop window. That's our chance to capable stadiums and get group talking astir rugby [union].

"Outside nan sound astir rugby league, and AFL is massive, that's nan biggest point successful town."

Joe Schmidt's broadside could not clasp connected to an 18-point lead successful Melbourne arsenic Hugo Keenan's last-minute try snatched a bid triumph for nan tourists, but Australia showed immense betterment from nan first half of Brisbane, erstwhile they did not look remotely competitive.

The hosts led for 79 minutes successful Melbourne and were 1 controversial clearout determination distant from taking nan game, and were ne'er down successful nan last Test of nan bid connected Saturday.

Depth proved to beryllium a large factor, pinch standout forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton missing nan first Test because of injuries.

Prop Taniela Tupou, capped 59 times, was not selected for nan first Two Tests aft struggling for shape but was backmost to his powerful champion successful Sydney.

"We still person a agelong measurement to spell pinch our home structure," erstwhile Australia skipper Moore added.

"You look astatine Ireland's centralised exemplary and I deliberation we request to spell down that way truthful that our champion players are really intimately managed truthful that they're cherry-right for that first crippled of nan Lions series.

"We've had 12 years to get fresh for this and we haven't sewage that portion of it correct and there's still a batch to do."

Schmidt was criticised for not releasing his stars for warm-up games against nan Lions, pinch his broadside only playing 1 crippled against Fiji to hole for nan series.

First-choice fly-half Noah Lolesio was ruled retired of nan full series aft that game, further highlighting a deficiency of extent arsenic his replacement Tom Lynagh, 22, ended up making his first 3 Test starts against nan Lions.

Despite nan effect of imaginable injuries, nan slow commencement to nan bid proved costly and erstwhile British and Irish Lions tourer Alex Cuthbert disagreed pinch Schmidt's approach.

"You've sewage to mobility really Australian rugby prepared for this tour. They've known it was coming for 12 years," Cuthbert told Rugby Union Weekly.

"They had 1 prep crippled against Fiji, they had nary apical players involved. Imagine if they'd put themselves successful a position wherever each those players were disposable earlier Brisbane. How different it could person been."