Pigs in muck: Wallabies forwards have a field day against Japan

August 15, 2026 — 6:01pm

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There is a beloved story in Wallaby circles about a speech made by stand-in manager Ross Turnbull on the morning of the Auckland Bledisloe Test in 1978, which began by asking the backs – whoever they were – to leave the room. The door shut, and it was just Turnbull with the pigs.

“Look,” he said, waving an airy hand at those who had just departed, “these Phantom comic swappers and Mintie eaters, these blond-headed fly-weights are one thing, and we will need them after the hard work’s done. But the real stuff’s got to be done right here by you blokes.”

And it was! The Wallabies went on to a famous victory, and the tale is so often repeated – at least among Australian forwards – because it makes a central point. It is the forwards who decide who wins the match, while the backs’ only role is to decide by how much.

But this Test match against Japan was........

© The Sydney Morning Herald