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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...012430,00.html
Here it is ladies and gentlemen...the voice of EXPERIENCE
Wayne Smith | August 18, 2007
THE Wallabies will kick off their World Cup campaign by fielding what is thought to be the most experienced international team in rugby history.
But sadly, a vast reservoir of experience was drained from the Wallabies' coaching staff yesterday when hugely respected scrum doctor Alec Evans was forced to withdraw from the trip on medical grounds.
The 68-year-old skills coach, the man credited with forging the green and gold pack into the unit that won the 1984 Grand Slam and then the 1986 Bledisloe Cup before returning to play a key role in the 1999 World Cup triumph, still has not recovered from the five metre fall he suffered while helping hooker Stephen Moore with a lineout drill in July.
The fall triggered extensive internal bleeding and left him with five broken rib. A catch-22 situation then emerged when he also developed bronchial pneumonia. Because of his injuries, Evans wasn't able to cough sufficiently to clear his lungs but what coughing he did seriously aggravated his broken ribs.
"My specialist didn't want to run the risk of me flying and suffering another internal bleed and, more to the point, I didn't want to run that risk either," said Evans.
"I'm very disappointed because (forwards coach) Michael Foley and I were working very well together with a very impressive group of forwards. There's enough youth there to make it exciting and enough hard nuts to make it tough for any opposition.
"I think the Wallabies will win the World Cup. We've got some wonderful athletes in the forwards and some great rugby brains in the backs."
His loss represents a significant setback to the Wallabies but history has shown that on-field experience is the critical factor at World Cups and the Australians have far more of it than other Test team ever assembled. Certainly more than any other starting World Cup team in the 20-year history of the tournament.
With 73-Test fullback Chris Latham and 53-Test winger Lote Tuqiri returning to the full-strength side for the September 8 match against Japan at Lyon, the Wallabies will boast an aggregate 795 caps if David Lyons is selected at number eight or 765 if Wycliff Palu is chosen instead at the back of the scrum. Either figure represents significantly more caps than any World Cup team has ever assembled before and is markedly more than England or Cup favourites New Zealand can muster.
Although the England squad averages out at 29 years, two years older than the average age of the Wallabies starting players, it still can draw on the collective experience of only 664 individual Tests, while the most battle-hardened XV the All Blacks can field would total 715 caps.
Four years ago, England won the World Cup at Telstra Stadium with a starting XV bristling with 638 caps. And it didn't take long for the joke to start that had the final against the Wallabies been scheduled a mere half hour later Martin Johnson's Dad's Army would have been "past it".
Certainly the England victory reinforced the lesson of the 1999 World Cup, won by the Wallabies with what was then the most experienced Australian side ever, John Eales' 633-cap outfit.
Wallabies coach John Connolly reacted cautiously to the statistics when told of them yesterday. "There is no doubt experience is important at the World Cup but so is the spread of experience," Connolly said. "The thing is that we have two players with 235 Tests between them (George Gregan with 134, Steve Larkham with 101). Together they almost have as much Test experience as our entire pack combined (289)."
It is in the backline that the real strength of the Wallabies is concentrated. Aside from the halves, the Australians have three backs who already have passed the half-century milestone, Latham, captain Stirling Mortlock (60) and Tuqiri with centre Matt Giteau (47) set to join the club.
"I think Giteau could be the Tim Horan of this World Cup," said Evans.
"And while it's a little unfair on both of them to say this, I think Hugh McMeniman is a better athlete than John Eales in terms of speed and athletic ability. If McMeniman stays on his feet, and he's had a shocking run with injuries, he'll end the World Cup in the run-on team. He's got something about him you just can't coach."
Evans' comments offer must give serious encouragement as Horan and Eales are the common denominator in Australia's 1991 and 1999 World Cup victories, the only players in history to twice win The Webb Ellis Cup. Having those two greats covered is a huge head start towards an unprecedented third cup win.
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