Wallabies forwards coach hits back at Stirling Mortlock's dire Rugby World Cup prediction
Wallabies forwards coach Dan McKellar has rejected Stirling Mortlock's claim that Australia is "no chance" of winning next year's Rugby World Cup after a \
The former Wallabies captain unloaded after the 28-27 defeat in Florence where coach Dave Rennie fielded a largely second string team and got burnt.
"That's Stirling's opinion. Everyone's got one. He's allowed one," McKellar said.
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Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock talks to his team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Getty
"Do I agree with it? 100 per cent not. There's a good group of footballers here and there's a core group of players that are still back in Australia as well.
"What you'll find is the 33 that go to the World Cup next year are certainly good enough to win that trophy. We're not worried about World Cup finals too much at the moment."
Australia has slumped to eighth in the world rankings and now has a daunting date with world No.1 Ireland in Dublin this weekend.
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Wallabies forwards coach Dan McKellar watches players warm up. Getty
While acknowledging the acute frustration of Wallabies fans, McKellar said no-one was doing it tougher than the team itself.
"I don't think I've been in a more disappointed dressing shed. The players that didn't play, the staff, we were shattered. What you find where you coach at this level and you lose, you feel like you've let the country down. We certainly felt that."
The botched Italian job has ratcheted up the pressure on Rennie, who is contracted through to next year's World Cup.
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Australia has won just four of its 12 Tests in 2022 and Rennie's overall winning percentage is just 37.5 per cent.
"One thing with Dave Rennie is you won't come across a more composed individual," McKellar said.
"The reality is we're under a little bit of stress at the moment, and you need a leader who will keep the group tight. We're as tight as we ever have been...
"Professional rugby, you have got to learn to park it pretty quickly and move on.
"We're about to come up against what I consider to be the best team in the world at the moment on their home turf in front of a sold out stadium. It'll be a great experience."
The No.1 fix on the Wallabies to-do list is improving discipline.
Australia react to the loss at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Getty
"It's on us. And as coaches and players, we've got to fix it," McKellar said.
"The fix is within the room. We can't be pointing the finger and blaming the officials...
"Rugby is a complex game. You're going to give penalties away. But it's the silly penalties that you can easily avoid that are hurting us at critical moments."
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