Stuart
Lancaster expects the contact area to go a long way towards deciding an
extremely tough Test against Australia this Saturday and says England will be
braced for the Wallabies’ fast-paced attacking patterns.
Lancaster
has been a keen observer of the Antipodeans’ progress over the course of this
year, watching them lose 1-2 to Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions before
a resurgent end to the Rugby Championship under Ewen McKenzie.
Citing
the influence of McKenzie and attack coach Jim McKay - a partnership that
guided the Queensland Reds to the 2011 Super Rugby title - the England head
coach insisted this weekend’s opponents were a settled side that had regathered
some precious momentum.
“The
DNA of Australia is about being winners in any professional sport - not just
rugby, but anything they play internationally,” he said. “They’re a force to be
reckoned with and for that, they deserve everyone’s respect.
“If
[Kurtley Beale’s] kick went over in the last play of the first [Lions] Test, it
becomes a different environment, but since then, the coaching team has changed
and the players are clearly playing for them.
“I
know Jim McKay well and the qualities he will bring as an attack coach. They’re
growing as a force and I think their two recent games [against Argentina and
New Zealand] just show how much of a threat they have become.
“They’ve
got some very good athletes - on their day, their backline is as good as
anyone’s. Their pack includes some very competitive back five forwards and
their front row has shown on occasions that they can cause problems for the
opposition.
“We
know from this time last year that they are a smart side and we need to be at
their best to beat them. We didn’t get that right last year - we need to this
year.”
Clearly
the 14-20 defeat at Twickenham 12 months ago still stings for Lancaster, but he
also knows one man who was not among the Australia ranks that day could be
rather influential.
Recalled
under long-term club mentor McKenzie, flyhalf Quade Cooper has shown sparks of
his mercurial best over the past few months and - in partnership with scrumhalf
Will Genia - has enough talent to pose a significant threat to England’s
defence.
“As an
attacking player, he’s outstanding,” he explained. “That is his range of
passing, his balance, his footwork, his ability to put people through gaps. His
goal-kicking was outstanding at the weekend, too.
“On
his day he can be world-class and seems to be in that kind of form at the
moment. His partnership with Will Genia is critical for them.
“From
a defence point of view, [we need to be wary of them] if they get good line-out
ball and scrum ball, they will cause us problems - no doubt about it.
“But
our objective is to get our game right. We place emphasis on the opponents but
we’re putting our gameplan together and we’ll focus on that - our scrums, our
line-outs, our restarts, our attacking intent, our defensive mindset and our
game management. That’s what we’ll be focussing on and talking about.”
A
traditionally maligned area for Australia in Test rugby has been the scrum -
certainly Dan Cole’s dominance was a key factor in a famous win for England in
Sydney three years ago.
However,
Lancaster downplayed the set-piece, saying that while it is always a central
facet of any Test match, England’s physicality at the tackle area will be vital.
“I
think [the scrum] is overplayed to be honest. People underestimate the quality
of the Australian scrum.
“The
contact area is probably more critical to see who gets good quick ball. Whoever
gets that will dominate the gainline, dominate possession and dominate the
scoreboard.
“The
scrum and line-out are important too but that’s what makes rugby special - it’s
the component pieces that you’ve got to put together to get a winning
performance.”
Captain18,570 posts
29 Oct 2013, 10:34
#1
29 Oct 2013, 10:34#1
