Fatigued Australia insist there is still energy for test assignments
Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Pool C - Australia v Fiji - Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France - September 17, 2023 Australia's Angus Bell in action with Fiji's Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Australia prop forward Angus Bell insisted the Wallabies still have "petrol in the tank" even if coach Joe Schmidt says his side is running on empty.
Bell said there was still plenty of motivation to play for Australia even if Saturday's test against Ireland will be an energy-sapping 14th international in a span of 20 weeks for the team.
Australia have won five of 13 since July and looked haggard in their last two encounters against England at Twickenham on November 1 and last Saturday when they lost to Italy in Udine.
Schmidt suggested fatigue was a factor in the loss to the Italians but Bell gave that short shrift at a press conference in Dublin on Monday.
"We definitely have enough petrol in the tank," Bell said.
"When you play for the Wallabies, when you play for your country, it's a massive honour, whether you've done it once or 100 times.
"Every week is exciting. Every week is an opportunity. I sit here as a 25-year-old and you never know how many more tests you're going to play. You never know what's around the corner," he added.
"Every time you pull on that jersey, it's an absolute privilege. So, for me, there's no bigger motivator than playing for country, and I know we're ready for the next two weeks, and we're going to try really hard to get to resurrect things."
Australia's clash against Ireland on Saturday is followed by a final tour match in Paris against France on November 22.
Bell said there had been a thorough review of their performance on Monday.
"This morning was really tough, but it's about not taking it personally and just trying to get better," he said.
"We have hard conversations even when we win. I remember after the third Lions test when we beat them there was still hard conversations happening.
"It's about being in a professional environment and being with a team that holds high standards," Bell added.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
