Baxter and Dunning 'will bounce back', McKenzie.
McKenzie is paid to get the most out of his Squad and part of that is supporting his players but he is either living in denial and in for a major shock this S14 season or he realises they are a lost cause but that he has few other options.
Take the circumstances to start a rebuilding year Link. Dunning is out and Trestle is a joke. Put the same faith that most of the Australian viewing public has in Robinson and blood your new colossus in Jeremy Tilse.
Baxter and Dunning 'will bounce back', McKenzie.
Adrian Proszenko
Sunday, January 21, 2007, c/o Rugby Heaven
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie predicts forwards Al Baxter and Matt Dunning will be able to put the darkest day of the careers behind them with powerhouse Super 14 seasons.
The heavyweight props copped the brunt of the criticism for the Wallabies' inept scrummaging during a 26-16 loss to England in Twickenham in November 2005 and have struggled to rebuild their reputations since.
The English pack monstered the Australian forwards in the infamous London encounter, constantly driving them backwards in scrums and rolling mauls off lineouts.
England controlled the scrum to such an extent that Baxter was sin-binned for repeated infringements, and Dunning was carried off the field on a stretcher in a neck brace after a scrum collapsed.
Rubbing further salt into Australia's wounds, the French referee ordered uncontested scrums because the Wallabies were too weak. (To my knowledge and recollection that is entirely unfair, the uncontested scrums were ordered because there were no remaining qualified International Props left on the Bench. Although, as a technicality, Polota-Nau had played most of his rugby prior to '04 as a Prop and had only recently become a Hooker however, Jones must have decided not to expose him.)
McKenzie said the ongoing criticism had fired up the pair to prove the knockers wrong with standout performances for the Waratahs this year.
"We've got some maligned players in the scrummaging area," McKenzie said. "Matt Dunning and Al Baxter have been on the wrong end of some publicity over the past 12 months.
"We have some guys with some agendas to correct and change.
"I've got no doubt they'd be sorry individuals if they weren't stung by the criticism. I think a lot of that criticism has been ill-informed.
"A lot of people jump on the bandwagon on those things and [Dunning and Baxter] paid the price for a scrummaging performance 15 months ago that other people were also involved in but don't seem to be scarred or tarnished with. They've got some specific agendas there and we'll certainly be enhancing their contribution."*
McKenzie said Baxter's omission from the Wallabies' 47-man training squad for the World Cup provided him with further motivation.
"Al Baxter played some very good football for us last year after that [2005 Wallabies] tour," McKenzie said. "Last year was his best Super 14 season and he was involved with the Wallabies for every Test match. He's got something to prove."**
*I don't have an agenda, I just recognise crap when I see it! The point is Link, when Baxter and Dunning are not involved those "other people" are members of more successful scrumagging units, certainly stand up for your own but surely you need to open your eyes if you believe these two are International Props?!
**Never a truer word spoken, he needs to prove that he can hold up a scrum before he ever see's a Wallaby jersey again!!!
