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Left out of Eddie Jones’ first team in South Africa, Jed Holloway says the directive is clear as the Wallabies prepare for their crunch Test against Michael Cheika’s Los Pumas in Parramatta: bring the heat.
Outmuscled and demolished in the collision on both sides of the ball, the Wallabies were lambs to the slaughter on the Highveld a week ago, as the Springboks flexed their muscle and bullied Jones’ side.
In response, Jones has beefed up his pack, promoting Richie Arnold to join twin tower Will Skelton in the second-row while Holloway has been called up at blindside flanker. Damaging runner Samu Kerevi has been named at inside centre, too.
The selections point towards a necessity to match Argentina up front, but it also presents Holloway another chance to make the blindside flanker position his own.
“Obviously there’s disappointment whenever you don’t get selected for a game, but I got some good honest feedback from the coaches and [it was] definitely what I needed,” Holloway said.
“I worked really hard to get myself to a point where I could really push myself for selection. It’s nice to get rewarded.
“But [I’ve] got to keep on pushing hard and work really hard on Saturday to retain that spot because Tommy Hooper’s a great young talent and we’re pushing each other each day, and you’ve got Robbie Leota coming through and all the guys in the Aussie A side too. That competitiveness is nice but we’re all fighting for that one spot, so we’re all pushing each other.”
Jed Holloway has been recalled to the Wallabies’ side to take on Argentina. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Asked what Jones wants in his No.6, Holloway put it bluntly.
“Mate, to be honest, just physical,” he said.
“He wants a big strong pack that is willing to run over people and front up in defence.
“He’s been brutally honest about that with every guy who’s in our forward pack really. Obviously, [he wants us to be] smart around the set-piece … but what he wants from his forwards is to be physical.”
Jones is by no means the first coach to demand that.
Indeed, Dave Rennie, the man that gave Holloway his first Test jersey last year in Argentina, often spoke about needing to win the collision.
Jed Holloway made his debut against Argentina last year. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)
Cheika, too, was all about physicality during his seven-year stint in Australian rugby and Holloway, who experienced the coach’s wrath more than once during his time as Waratahs boss, knows Argentina will be up for the match after coming off an equally ugly 41-12 defeat at home to the All Blacks last weekend.
“We expect them to be physical,” he said.
“Any Michael Cheika side who doesn’t bring that physicality, they’re going to go cop a spray if they don’t have that edge about them. They’re going to come with some tricks up their sleeves, but it’s all going to be based around physicality and coming after us.
“If you were reviewing our game against South Africa, if I was coaching a team, that’s what I’d be saying: ‘Try dominate their set-piece, dominate their scrum, get them on the backfoot and then opportunities are going to open up.’
“I dare say they’re going to try and do the same thing and we need to come ready to go and match them and raise above them.
“He’s unbelievable at implementing a style and he’s really good at creating edge amongst the group. I’ve been coached by Cheik. I’ve been yelled at multiple times by Cheik, and I know how much of a quality coach he is, so they’re going to come ready to go tomorrow.”
Jed Holloway says the Wallabies know what to expect coming up against a Michael Cheika-led Argentine side. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Jones will get to see whether Holloway can cut the mustard on Saturday, with the flanker to square up against firebrand Pablo Matera.
If Holloway can get one on the Argentine star, Jones’ logistical staff can start booking the 30-year-old’s plane ticket to France because there are few better than Matera.
The Wallabies are aware of his threat, with the Pumas one of the strongest on-ball sides in the world that make a living disrupting ball.
But they believe if they can dominant the collision, their attacking breakdown will take care of itself.
Just as important is firming up their scrum, with forwards coach Neal Hatley saying they can fix their scrum woes in the space of a week.
“Yep. It’s going to be a process with people coming into the team and more people to be added. And where we’ve started and where we’re trying to get to, but yeah, we can turn around in a week. But it’s going to be evolution not revolution,” he said.
But, having watched the Wallabies’ scrum be demolished by the Springboks, Hatley did admit perception matters at the set-piece heading into World Cups.
“It always matters. It always matters,” he said.
“Everyone will tell you that you people ref the game from the first whistle, I think perception is massively important.
“We know with games leading up into it, hopefully the quarter-finals, semi-finals, etc, the work that we’ve done in the pool games and in these games that we’ve got now, friendlies against France, our job is to create that perception.”
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.