Wallabies in danger of losing Hanigan to ambitious French club just as forward enters his prime
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
England’s Rugby World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson has damned the Wallabies’ young front row with faint praise and left coach Robbie Deans incredulous at the suggestion his youngsters were bending the rules.
Rookie props Ben Daley and Salesi Ma’afu and hooker Saia Faingaa had played just five Tests between them and were given a working over by a far more experienced English scrum in the first Test in Perth.
The Wallabies conceded several scrum penalties in that game and were frequently pushed backwards.
While they had the odd shaky moment in the second Test in Sydney, the young frontrowers clearly performed better and even wheeled the English scrum on one occasion.
Veteran Thompson, who has played in all three of England’s wins over the Wallabies in Australia, said his opponents had definitely improved over the week.
“They weren’t doing exactly what we thought they were going to do but fair play to them, they stuck in there and however they done it, it might not be by the rules,…they got away with it,” Thompson told reporters.
Pressed on what he thought the Wallabies were getting away with Thompson said: “Sometimes taking it (the scrum) down, things like that.
“They are young lads and are just starting off their international career and they really showed that they can change things around in a week.”
Deans was taken aback by Thompson’s suggestion his rookies had resorted to rule breaking.
“You can’t be serious,” was the immediate reaction.
When journalists confirmed Thompson’s statements a droll Deans said: “We’ll he (Thompson) would know.”
The Wallabies’ coach nominated their scrum as one of the few plus points to come out of Australia’s 21-20 loss at ANZ Stadium.
Skipper and flanker Rocky Elsom said his frontrowers had responded reasonably well.
“There’s a hell of a lot of pressure there, it wasn’t perfect, but you would say it was better,” Elsom said of the Australian scrum.
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.
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
As calls grow for the entire Rugby Australia board to be overthrown, new chairman Daniel Herbert described the agitators behind the movement as hypocrites…
Three things in the world of rugby have caught my eye this week, and got me thinking very hard about the way forward, and…
Amid a week of soul-searching for Stephen Larkham’s men, the Brumbies have received a massive boost ahead of Saturday’s home clash against the ladder-leading…
Jordan Petaia may have played his last match for the Reds, with the off-contract Wallabies back to miss the rest of the Super Rugby…
Joe Schmidt has made it clear that his preference is to pick from home in 2024. His thoughts on the Wallabies’ eligibility policy could…