Wallabies Wait for First Test
As the rugby world has been distracted by the two super powers currently duking it out over the first two matches of the 2010 Tri-Nations cup, the Australian Wallabies have been forced to wait and watch. The Wallabies have the tough task of staying fit, and focused for their first match in Brisbane on the 24th of July.
In order to keep his team on their toes, coach Robbie Deans has yet to release the line-up that will open the tournament against what could be a very hungry South African Springboks side. In addition the Australian Rugby Union has hired a watchdog to ensure that the players are not participating in too many extra-curricular activities, especially after star Quade Cooper was taken to court for burglary charges, which have only recently been dropped. The Union wants to ensure that every one of the player’s minds is solely on rugby. They have hired former team manager Phil Thomson to keep an eye on the squad.
Thomson said of his new role “The experience I’ve had in 14 years team managing and 14 years before that on the police force puts me in a good position to take on the role…The role have a lot of scope and room for development, and it’s good that we are being proactive in these important areas.”
Coming into the tournament the Australians were considered a major underdog. The New Zealand All Blacks are ranked first in the world, while the Springboks sit second, and are defending tournament champions. Adding to the Wallabies woes is the fact that they are currently going through one of their worst bouts of international rugby, especially against their Tri-Nations rivals. They have not won the Tri-Nations cup since 2001 and are the only nation to not have won it in the new era of the three match series. In addition their record in the tournament since 2001 is a depressing 13 and 38. To make matters worse the Aussies have not won the Bledsoe Cup since 2003, and have lost seven straight matches to the All Blacks.
Even after a strong campaign in this year’s Super 14 the Wallabies looked dejected in Tri-Nations warm ups against England and Ireland.
The team needs to refocus and Deans is attempting to do that, bringing in the youngest squad of the tournament, and perhaps allowing some players to earn their first caps next weekend.
The Wallabies do have good news however, as prop Benn Robinson, and hooker Stephen Moore should be back from injury in time for their first match. Robinson fractured his arm in a test against England in June. The 24 year-old is a key piece to Deans squad, and his size should help to balance out the three teams first rows.
Robinson and Moore have been working hard in training, leaving the prop to say this about their match readiness: “This week is a real tester for us, he has got a few knocks on the jaw already, and I’ve got a fair knock on the arm…It’s just about getting confidence back in your arm and you achieve that through a few bumps and bruises.”
The Wallabies are the smallest of the three teams and will have to really punch above their weight class to win the cup this year. However, they are blessed with the fact that both New Zealand and South Africa will have battled so hard against one another, that the travel to Australia for their third game could take a toll on them. The Australian side has won one of the best schedules of the tournament, and this may be their best opportunity to beat New Zealand, and their recent success against the Springboks at home could put them in a good spot heading to South Africa.
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