Wallabies Will Focus

Wallabies will focus: Waugh
8/06/2007 4:59:42 PM AEST

Sportal

Saturday night's Test against Fiji in Perth will be the last time Wallabies coach John Connolly experiments with the line-up he hopes to take to the World Cup, according to co-captain Phil Waugh.

After two Tests with differing results against Wales, the Wallabies will field an experimental side against Fiji at Subiaco Oval. Waugh expects a settled side from then on, starting with the Tri-Nations in South Africa.

"The Tri-Nations and the first Test coming up against South Africa is very important, but the primary goal is the World Cup and getting things right for September," said Waugh.

"We will have a lot more consistency in selections during the Tri-Nations and then you can get the cohesion in combinations together for the World Cup. This will be the last Test for experimentation."

Waugh also said that a good performance against the Fijians was particularly important as the Wallabies were attempting to build on their second-test thrashing of Wales and give several fringe players the opportunity to prove their worth ahead of the World Cup.

"We want to get momentum out of it going into the Tri-Nations," he said.

"We've focused a lot on our own game rather than the opposition. We feel we haven't played our best the last couple of weeks against Wales, apart from the second-half of the second Test, so we still have a lot to work on."

"James Horwill is making his Test debut, Dave Lyons is back into the starting side, so there are plenty of guys playing for starting spots in future Tests and World Cup positions. It's a very important Test match for not only the team, but for personal endeavours as well," he said.

Waugh is also glad to see Lote Tuqiri back in the Wallabies line-up, but as for any pace he's gained, we will have to wait and see.

"He has let us all know that he's out of his cage and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do," he said.

"He's had a good break, I think, with four weeks on the sidelines doing speed work, and all the boys are glad to see him back. I haven't noticed a difference in his pace yet, hopefully he will get some open space against Fiji and nobody will run him down. He's excited to be back out there."

With Stirling Mortlock starting the game on the bench, Waugh will captain the side solely, but is glad former captain George Gregan and Stephen Larkham will have significant roles in the game to help him out.

"George's influence is very steadying to have out there, as he showed in the second-half against Wales," he said.

"It's great to have George there playing with Stephen Larkham, as they are one of the best combinations in the world. It's going to be great to have them both out there at the start of the game."

"A lot of our focus has been on our own game and performing well. We have been disappointed in our performances so far (The Wallabies only just beat Wales in the first test), so this is a good opportunity to get things right," he said.

"They are an exciting team and have pace to burn. They will throw the ball around to try to score points, so we will need to maintain our discipline and stay focused on our own game. We know it's going to be physical as well, with them having fierce tacklers throughout their team, and for us it's about holding onto the ball and being disciplined in the way we play."

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