Wallabies' forwards ready to show they're no pushovers
Posted Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:40pm AEST
Almost two years on from Australian rugby union's day of shame, the Wallabies will gauge the regeneration of their forward pack against Wales in the noisy cauldron of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
The Wallabies have lived with the stigma of possessing a pack of pushovers in world rugby since England's tight five ruthlessly destroyed the Australian scrum at Twickenham on November 12, 2005.
From that nadir, the Australians, under forwards coach Michael Foley, have reconstructed the Wallaby pack to the extent where Foley, a hooker with the victorious 1999 World Cup team, declares they will become the best pack in the world.
The Australians will get a progress report card against the Welsh in their Pool B showdown on Saturday.
"I believe we will be the best pack in the world and it's when, not if," Foley said ahead of the Cardiff clash.
"This weekend is a big milestone for our forwards. Playing Wales at their home ground in a game they're desperate to win, we have to assert our authority.
"Our forwards had a tough season in 2005 and all credit to them for how much they've improved.
"They're committed to dispelling the image others have of them. We understand the perception lingers. We're not offended when people hang labels on us from the past, but we are very motivated to work towards the view that we are well and truly credible."
The Wallabies are regaining respect after the 2005 humiliation at Twickenham triggered when prop Al Baxter was sent to the sin-bin for not packing straight.
Matt Dunning switched to the tighthead and one scrum later was stretchered off with a neck injury. Australia's pack was further humiliated when the referee mercifully ordered that the remaining scrums be uncontested.
That black day led to the sacking of coach Eddie Jones who was replaced by John Connolly, an old-fashioned forwards coach.
Old heads
It has been Foley's task to rebuild the forward pack's technique and shattered confidence, starting with the Jones-era front rowers Dunning, Baxter and hooker Stephen Moore.
"Now it's not just the front rowers talking amongst ourselves," Baxter said. "We now have a coach to talk to."
Foley has told the Wallaby forwards their days of running and avoiding a scrummaging contest were over.
"We now enter the scrum as a full-blooded contest," Foley said.
"We want to scrummage on our ball. We want to scrummage on their ball. If nothing else, it's good for the spirits.
"Going into a game as a forward pack, where you are playing in an extremely confrontational, in-your-face position and being told, 'hey, let's duck and weave', without ever being set a goal to really go at them is a crying shame.
"We're going away from that and, touch wood, that will never come back into Australian rugby again."