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Rising Wallabies prop Ben Alexander says he still has so much more room for improvement after emerging as one of Australia’s stars on their spring tour last year.
Brumbies front-rower Alexander 25, cemented a spot in the Wallabies starting lineup during the late year tour.
His mobility around the park allied to his improving scrummaging made him one of the success stories of the seven-match tour.
Capped 18 times, Alexander is adamant he can get a lot more out of himself after moving across the scrum from loosehead to tighthead.
Not due back at Brumbies training until next week, Alexander opted to “get a bit of sun” and keep building on his excellent tour form “rather than sitting round the house playing XBox all day”.
“I definitely think my thought processes when I’m playing are much more clear, I don’t feel rushed,” Alexander said.
“I like to think my decision making has improved in all aspects of the game, not just the scrummaging, but at lineout time, at the ruck, in defence and in attack.”
“I”m really pleased with the progress I’ve made, but I know I’ve got so much more room for improvement, which is very exciting and motivates me to keep working hard.”
Alexander has flourished at tighthead after learning some tough early lessons in the demanding position.
“You never feel comfortable (at tighthead), it’s the hardest position in rugby, I feel,” Alexander said.
“I learned a lot of lessons at the start.
“When I was first learning and copped quite a few hidings, not just at training, but in a couple of games, I didn’t have the best scrums.
“Probably the main thing you take out of it is you’ve just got to be on your game every single scrum at tighthead.”
Alexander said he could go back to playing at loosehead for the Brumbies as they had “two of the best tightheads in the country” in Guy Shepherdson and Salesi Ma’afu.
Ma’afu who was selected for the midweek games on the Wallabies tour, said he felt more confident after his overseas experience.
“I brought back some belief that I am good enough to be amongst those players, I do have a stronger sense of belief in my abilities,” Ma’afu said.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.