Aussies focus on scrums
29 May 2006
Australia have included three young props among nine uncapped players in a 33-man squad for next month’s Tests against England.
Props Rodney Blake, Benn Robinson and Guy Shepherdson are selected in coach John Connolly’s first squad since replacing Eddie Jones at the helm.
Captain George Gregan said Australia wanted to improve the woeful scrum that undermined their displays last year. “There will be a strong focus on our set piece,” said Gregan. “(We want to be) very competent and become a tough side in those aspects.”
The other uncapped players in the squad are forwards Wycliff Palu and Tai McIsaac, and backs Gene Fairbanks, Sam Norton-Knight, Josh Valentine and Cameron Shepherd.
Matt Giteau will be unavailable for the first Test against England on 11 June because of injury, leaving Connolly with a problem at inside centre. “I’ve said throughout that we would pick the squad on form. There were a few unlucky omissions but we feel the squad we’ve selected is the strongest possible one,” said Connolly.
“It’s a young squad but there’s a good mixture of youth and experience. You could suggest that we’ve picked a squad with a view to the future, but the supporters expect the national team to perform well in every Test and rightfully so.”
The second Test against England is in Melbourne on 17 June. Australia have lost eight of their last nine Tests.
Australia squad:
Adam Ashley-Cooper, Al Baxter, Rodney Blake, Mark Chisholm, Sam Cordingley, Rocky Elsom, Gene Fairbanks, Scott Fava, Adam Freier, Mark Gerrard, George Gregan (captain), Daniel Heenan, Greg Holmes, Alex Kanaar, Stephen Larkham, Chris Latham, Tai McIsaac, Stirling Mortlock, Sam Norton-Knight, Wycliff Palu, Jeremy Paul, Clyde Rathbone, Benn Robinson, Mat Rogers, Nathan Sharpe, Cameron Shepherd, Guy Shepherdson, George Smith, Scott Staniforth, Lote Tuqiri, Josh Valentine, Daniel Vickerman, Phil Waugh.
20 Comments
29 May 2006, 07:51 am
A good blend of youth and experience. One thing is for sure, the Wallaby scrum will give a much better account of itself this year.
29 May 2006, 07:53 am
This is good for us, Oz will now sacrifice speed for power and wont have that super fast momentum that they are used to.
Also they wont have to use their illegal tactics in the scrums, so a better contest all around.
Now…. lets see England have a 1 win in 10 Starts season.
29 May 2006, 07:53 am
Well you have to hope so Ian, can’t imagine them being weaker…or can we?
29 May 2006, 07:58 am
Koos,
It depends on whther or not they pick Baxter! Watch Baxter everytime he packs down. He puts this mean look on his face, and then gets murdered! They must pick Robinson and Blake, with Frier in the middle.
29 May 2006, 08:03 am
Frier may be a little light but someone should tell poor Baxter an angry/mean face is not enough to stand up against the big boys, you actually need some muscle and technique as well.
I don’t wish anything on Knuckles, he has got a hell of a job to do and very limited time. I would not expect to much more than ‘adequate’ from the Wallabies this year and if they get that everyone better watch out for next year.
PS You in Brisbane from memory?
29 May 2006, 08:04 am
Baxter should never again be picked for Australia for any serious test match – probably OK to give him a run against Japan, Scotland, Canda or south Africa though.
29 May 2006, 08:13 am
Koos,
Yes, in Windaroo (near Beenleigh).
Each time I see Baxter with his mean look, I crack up because invariably, he gets murdered. Actually, I’m quite surprised his opponents don’t crackup laughing!
I have tickets for the Aus-Bok game in July. I’m really looking forward to it.
Clyde Wombat,
Exactly right, mate. In fact, I’d even be a bit worried picking him against Japan!
29 May 2006, 08:16 am
Oh yes, thats right, we are almost neighbours. Hope it is a better show than the previous time we played one another here!
29 May 2006, 09:15 am
You simply don’t change coaches a year before the RWC, SA did it with Straueli and we know what happened there. Knuckles claims to be a proponent of 15 man rugby but his track record and this selection prove otherwise.
Hopefully for them the suggestion in SA rugby mag that knuckles will not play waugh and smith together is codswallop. They are the only truly world class forwards in Aus at the moment and to win matches they will need both on the park together.
This side simply does not have enough experience and the players with the experience are perhaps a bit long in the tooth. Australia will do well to make the quarter finals of the RWC and then I expect they will get a jolly good hiding off whoever they play.
Happy days!
29 May 2006, 09:18 am
So we’ll see a strong scrum versus a smart scrum when Boks play OZ?
29 May 2006, 09:32 am
Hu they got no chance they will carry on where they left off from last season.
29 May 2006, 10:57 am
Pompies,
Brave call, mate, brave call. We’ll talk again after the Tri Nations!
29 May 2006, 11:51 am
dee dah bollocks. macqueen took over the wallabies in 98 and won the world cup a year later. straueli is not a coach he is a sargeant
29 May 2006, 13:42 pm
If we go down, we’ll go down fighting with Knuckles, and then rebuild – Aus has a lot of good players coming through. But I’m optimistic for 07 – won’t happen this year – quality test forwards take time to develop and at the moment we only have two – Smith and Vickerman (thanks SA). Can write 06 off to experience and properly blooding blokes like Blake, Frier, P-N, Robinson, Heenan, Holmes, Palu, Kanaar, McMerriman + some might be ready from an excellent U/21 side.
Hopefully never to wear the glorious golden jersey of the only two time world cup winners again – BAXTER, DUNNING, YOUNG, Cannon, Lyons, Roe.
29 May 2006, 13:55 pm
baxter is in the squad. lyons is only young should be a prop
30 May 2006, 01:23 am
Some merit in moving Lyons to prop. Waugh, Hoiles, Croft all high quality players but unfortunately not big enough for test backrowers.
Yes I see Baxters in – I don’t want to sledge the guy too much because he does try hard, but he is just not of test standard and really never has been – a super 14 journeyman at best. Brumby, is Sheperdson good/a long term chance for tighthead in your view?
30 May 2006, 04:35 am
Brumby u give strooily too much credit, he is not a sargeant, he is a “korporaal”
30 May 2006, 06:41 am
NcQueen and Straueli should never be mentioned on the same page ever again, one was a coach that used business like skills, the other was a dictator.
McQueen is up there with the greats of all time, Straueli is sadly in that list of “who was that coach?”
Front-row for OZ, Blake is obviously the 1st choice, Baxter will be there, which means meaningless penalties that will be converted by the dead-eye goal kickers for England and the tri-nation opponents.
Just wondering what style oz will play with the two big flanks. Speed is eliminated, so maybe a tactical territorial field game of precise kicking for corners and lineouts. Also think knuckles picks two big flanks for the scrummaging headaches oz has with props. Owen Finnegan/Bill young style pushing i guess, but theres only 1 melon.
Come 2007, OZ front-row will be better off, this is the year to find the right combo.
30 May 2006, 06:41 am
oops McQueen, not NcQueen.
30 May 2006, 11:02 am
shepherdson is a much improved prop not sure if he will be up to it though. the speed will come from smith around the park
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