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Walllabies scrum coach Neal Hatley looks set to deploy the team’s biggest tight five weapons in tandem for the first time since joining Eddie Jones’ World Cup campaign, with Taniela Tupou getting through his first full training with the squad since his injury layoff.
Tupou, who has returned from an Achilles injury suffered last year, played half a game in Australia A’s loss in his country of birth two weekends ago and says he’s ready to face the All Blacks this weekend.
The Tongan Thor came back to Australia lacking a little thunder but has now overcome illness to resume training.
“I’ve been really sick in the last few days but I’m good now,” Tupou told reporters on Monday.
“It was good to be back home playing in front of my family [in Tonga]. It was the first time some of them have ever watched me play before so full circle back, playing where it all started for me.
Taniela Tupou. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“It’s been quite emotional. It was sort of good it was my first game back because of all the emotions and all the family and everything. Just being home. We hardly get these games in Tonga, it’s such a small place. To be back there was special.
“To play 40 minutes, to get it done it was good to know that I’ve done the right thing with the rehab and stuff and I’m confident that I can play at this level.”
Hatley will be relieved to have Tupou at his disposal in a Wallabies jersey, maybe as soon as this weekend in Melbourne against the All Blacks.
“He’s done whole training today and done full units and scrummaged really well this morning,” said Hatley. “We’re pleased with where he is. He’s obviously bounced back really well from from a little bit of illness last week, but he doesn’t look to have any side effects this morning.”
Hatley says the team’s set piece was improved against Argentina in game two of the Rugby Championship after being a disappointment against the Springboks.
“We’re getting there after a tough start away in Pretoria,” Hatley said.
Hatley was full of praise for the input of French based locks Will Skelton and Richie Arnold, and felt their presence would be complemented by the return of Tupou.
“Will has lost about seven kg since he’s turned up here from France. So he’s applied himself unbelievably well, he’s working so hard,” said Hatley.
“But it’s no good having just the weight. We’ve got to make sure technically we’re accurate. What we’ve seen from Taniela over the last probably four or five weeks is he’s come back obviously from a big injury, scrummaging really square, working really hard. Like he’s a really big nail and we’ve got a big hammer behind him. So we need him to stay square in order for the hammer to work.”
Hatley said he had twice coached against Skelton in European club football, with the La Rochelle giant coming out on top both times.
“What he’s brought to us is a great mentality. He’s used to winning, but he’s brought brilliant energy,” Hatley said.
“When in the group there’s little lows and troughs it’s normally him [lifting the mood]. Sometimes big men don’t act and play like big men, and he does exactly that.
“I don’t think he’s missed a session. He’s up early morning doing extra sessions. Just his application to keep getting better. I think when a group sees somebody who’s achieved what he’s achieved over the last probably five or six years in Europe, and he’s still got a real hunger to be to be better every day, it’s a great stop on for the rest of us.”
He said Arnold, despite limited experience with the Wallabies, was also having an impact.
“Both of them what they’ve done really well is they haven’t just sat in the room,” said Hatley.
“Richie only has the two caps but he’s quite prepared to stand up in meetings and talk about our maul defence and maul attack. They’re comfortable in their own skin.
“They’re not just sitting here not adding value. Both of them would be brilliant in terms of adding value to what can be at times a very young pack and a pack that’s still growing. To have two experienced guys like that has been brilliant.”
Hatley was alongside Eddie Jones for the 2019 World Cup campaign, and said Jones is the best in the business at finding a result under pressure.
Neal Hatley says Eddie Jones is the best in the business in getting a result when his side is up against the wall. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
“I’m not just saying that because he’s the boss. Having worked with him for four years and then gone away and come back I’m not amazed because I’ve seen it before. He’s very good at it,” said Hatley.
“He knows that this game is unbelievably important. It’s part of a process of building and getting to make sure that we hit the World Cup at the right time we’re in the right place.
“What the coaching group is trying to do is build belief here. But it’s not false belief. If you look around the room, there’s probably several guys coming back from some big injuries, you know, Quade [Cooper], Samu [Kerevi], Taniela.
“I don’t think there’s anyone better in terms of how he generates belief based on the back of what you do in training and performance. It’s not just sort of pumping hot air into a tyre. There’s genuine belief built on the back of what we’re doing.”
On Saturday Jones admitted his coaching team was enduring some “teething problems.”
“But in a build up to a World Cup these sorts of teething problems are sometimes the best problems to have,” Jones said. “Sometimes you find out more about your team in these situations than you do when you think things are going along swimmingly. And they’re not getting along swimmingly.”
Hatley said the coaches understand that there is “an urgency to coach better every day.
“I think as a coaching group, we understand where we are. He sets the tone, sets the direction. There’s never an acceptance. Some of the things I’ve talked about they’re not excuses.
“We should have won that [Argentina] game. You score 31 points at home, you should win every time, so there’s there’s no acceptance of that result. We’re massively disappointed. It’s not just the tone that Eddie sets, it’s the rest of the coaching group as well.”
The Wallabies job gets tougher this week against the All Blacks.
“The All Blacks for years now have been unbelievably efficient and then in the right moments, they could turn the screw.
”[Assistant coaches] Greg Feek and Jason Ryan are doing a brilliant job there. And they’ve obviously picked up on the work that Mike Cron did,” said Hatley, who was prepared to list three areas of chellenge to expect from the Kiwis.
“Outstanding set piece and they’re a deadly side in transition,” he said. “I think the start of the game, this season in particular, they’ve started like a house on fire. So the start will be massively important. Against Argentina, they were 24 nil up within 17 minutes and something pretty similar against South Africa.
“Our works gonna be cut out for us. We’ve had a good comeback from a disappointing start on opposition ball. I thought we were good on our ball and then obviously against Argentina we scrummaged well, won penalties our ball, got one on theirs – but this will be another step up again.”