Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Friday, 8 November 2013 07:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
replacements for a whopping total of 965 test caps.
The bulk of the All Blacks game has improved and is of a consistently high quality. However, coach Steve Hansen accepts they have struggled to adapt to the new scrum engagement laws. The All Blacks fully expect France to try to exploit the scrum with the All Blacks accepting that their set-piece has been a chink in their unbeaten armour this year.
“There’s no doubt we have to get better at it,” Hansen said. “We’re not starting the games well, but we are scrummaging well at the end of the game. The quality of ball we’re getting off the scrum is not as good as it could be. We have to adapt quicker than we are.”
Hansen says the new laws, in which the front-rows fold together rather than “hit” with power on engagement, have turned the set-piece on its head as it has become an eight-versus-seven battle because the attacking hookers must now hook the ball, robbing the team feeding the scrum of a forward’s push. Making matters worse for the attacking team, referees call for the scrum-half to feed the ball, allowing the defensive pack to time their shove.
France have dropped four backs from the squad to face the All Blacks. Philippe Saint-Andre dropped scrum-half Jonathan Pelissie, centres Maxime Mermoz and Mathieu Bastareaud and uncapped outside back Sofiane Guitoun as he reduced his group from 30 to 26 players. Saint-Andre has included seven players from Toulouse, including captain Thierry Dusautoir, while Stade Francais prop Rabah Slimani is the only uncapped inclusion. Several players who featured during France’s 3-0 series loss in New Zealand in June have been ruled out by injury, notably No.8 Louis Picamoles, scrum-half Maxime Machenoud, prop Thomas Domingo, flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo and fly-half Frederic Michalak.
Australia vs Italy
Australia has not lost to Italy in 15 meetings, but they have a pathetic 3-8 win-loss record in 2013. Thus they find themselves vulnerable against a team that upset both France and Ireland in this year’s Six Nations.
The Italian was quoted as saying “It would probably be the biggest victory in Italian history,”. “To take the scalp of the fourth-best team in the world, and the Wallabies - who have won the World Cup twice - everyone knows the importance and how difficult it will be to come away with the win.”
Italy has closed the gap against the top nations, under Frenchman Jaques Brunel, and they almost stole a win against Australia last year before falling 22-19. Finishing off rivals is now their big focus post-Six Nations. “We obviously have to prove to ourselves, and the Italian public as well, that we are on the right track,” McLean said. “The best way to do it is win those close games.”
SA vs Wales
South Africa have recalled experienced Test duo J.P Pietersen and Jaque Fourie for their game against Wales. They are currently in Japan and Fourie makes his first start for the Boks since the 2011 World Cup while it will be Pietersen’s first Test appearance this year. Boks coach Heyneke Meyer is glad to have the duo back.
He said: “We’re very fortunate to have two world-class players in JP and Jaque available for selection and I wanted to get them into the action as soon as possible. “They bring a vast amount of experience to the team and it was clear from our training sessions thus far that they are in great form and ready for Test rugby.”
While their back line boasts a huge 447 caps, there is a new face in the Boks’ front-row as Frans Malherbe comes in for the injured Jannie du Plessis. The only other change to the pack from the side that faced New Zealand sees Flip van der Merwe starting next to Eben Etzebeth in the middle row.
England vs Argentina
Sir Clive Woodward said that England turned in “one of the worst first halves I can remember watching at Twickenham” before the second-half recovery which saw them beat Australia 20-13.
Woodward, writing for the Daily Mail, was not short of criticism of, and advice for, the England side claiming that they needed to improve if they were to beat Argentina at the weekend.
“Stop worrying about the opposition and start focusing on yourself,” he wrote. “England’s most significant flaw was to allow themselves to get sucked down to the level of the Australian team – and the Wallabies in the second half were worthy of a one out of 10.
“I would love to sit down with both head coaches and ask a simple question: ‘What were you both trying to do?’ If you went to a rock concert, or to the West End, and saw a quality of performance as bad as that then you would feel disgruntled and there was certainly an odd, unsettled atmosphere in the ground.”
“It’s not the personnel, it is the way England are playing, and speed of play comes down to the coaches. We are not throwing down the gauntlet at Twickenham like we used to when it was a fortress. If England have any aspirations to be the No. 1 ranked team in the world, they have to play in a very different way and speed of ball is top of the list.”
(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)
