As the Wallaroos begin their final preparations ahead of their first clash on French soil, loose forward Piper Duck believes a shift in focus to growth and process is already paying dividends.
This week marked the first time the 28-man Wallaroo have been in France, the side enjoying some free time on Wednesday down in Marseille to experience the local culture and sights.
This weekend’s clash against The Blues will be the first time these sides have played each other since the Valaroos’ famous victory in 2023 in New Zealand, and the French women have not beaten the women’s gold since 2017.
The Wallaroos turned a lot of heads in the opening weekend of the WXV Global Series, their 48-15 loss to England a match that showed that the result does not tell the story, with Australia becoming the first team to lead the Red Roses at half time since 2020.
Combined with the fact that many of the selected players in this weekend’s squad were part of that 29-20 win France three years ago, the energy proved positive – although Duck admits France is a top four side for a reason.
“There’s a really good energy in camp,” Duck said RugbyPass.
“The atmosphere and the camaraderie and the support we had within the group, I think, was exceptional. I really enjoyed being a part of it.
“I’ve talked to a lot of those women who were part of that 2023 game and it’s a game they’re very proud of.
“The French are such an electric side, such a competitive side, and they play with such flair. (We) give them due respect, but we think we can come in and do the job, we’re excited to do our best.”
Her team-mates weren’t the only players the Duck got advice from on this tour, with the arrival of Manchester City and 71-cap Matilda Mary Fowler in camp to present the Wallaroos kits, proving a valuable exercise.
“We brought Mary Fowler to the camp when we were in Manchester, which was an amazing experience to hear from her,” said Duck.
“The aspect she touched on that we really took on was growth over outcomes.
“Obviously the outcome is important, but the result will come when you focus on that growth in the process, right?
“It’s not that we’re not worried about the outcome, of course we want to get the best results at home and for each other.
“But it’s about winning those key moments, individual growth, so the bottom line is going to be positive and what we want it to look like if it’s a ‘win or grow’ aspect.
“That’s something we’ve really talked about, focusing on that, focusing on every key moment, winning the individual battles, that aspect of the competition, because when you do that, the outcome will take care of itself.
“That was really key in many of the games we played.
“Obviously, that New Zealand game, we were disappointed with the outcome. In the end, unfortunately, with that English game, the scoreline didn’t represent those first 50 minutes, which was difficult.
“We’ve definitely thought about that because we’ve also said it’s important for us to feel that this is not the result that we might have wanted in the end.
“But overall, we’re very proud of that aspect of growth and focusing on each individual moment, because ultimately that’s going to lead to an outcome that we’re really proud of.”
With Fowler watching from the stands in Salford, the Wallaroos were well on their way to a positive outcome and England’s experience ultimately proved too strong in the final half hour.
Despite the defeat, it gave the 25-year-old plenty of confidence that the pack can prove more than a match for the French, who will be looking to bounce back from their 28-14 loss to New Zealand last week.
“We really slowed down that breakdown (against England), got that first-half collision which really helped us in that performance,” Duck said.
“Now it’s just holding on for 80 minutes, especially in that defensive gap is something we’ve been talking about.
“It gave me a lot of confidence that we have a really talented group; a really talented group that, when we put our backs on the platform, we can perform well.
“I’m really excited about this group. I love playing rugby, I enjoy the environment in the camp. We’d love to get a result, but at the end of the day, it’s about that mindset of growing and improving that game.”
“Hopefully the result will take care of itself.”