Countdown to the Wallaby Euro Tour - The Front Row

[greenandgoldrugby]

In the good old days (2007) we would have had stories of piss-ups, punch-ups and coaching fall-out in the lead up to a tour or tournament, but with the Deans honeymoon period still in full swing it's pretty damn quiet. So I thought I'd get our heads back in the game by running over a few of the key questions this European jaunt should shed some light on.

This week - The Front Row.

If you were brand new to Australian rugby this year, you'd wonder what all the fuss was about. The first choice combination of Baxter, Moore and Robinson at least holding their own against the World Champions and the World number 1's.

But we've been here before, getting on for five times. On each occasion we've been promised improvement only to witness some of the most embarrassing sights on an international rugby field - including a prop being sent from the field for not being able to scrummage (pictured above).

To compound this, we're looking at a lot of the same cattle. Moore, Baxter and Dunning have become habitual offenders when it comes to tasting mud and humiliation in the northern hemisphere.

So is this going to be the definition of madness - doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different result - just re-proven? Well, if I had to put my over-leveraged mortgage on the line, I'd say yes.

While I've given Big Al some ratings verging on the positive this year (it's only taken him a record number of caps) along with Moore and the promising rookie Robinson (15 caps), there's a dangerous mix of poor mental baggage and inexperience in the propping department heading north.

Witness Matt Dunning, who despite being shown up this tri-nations as the weakest link (particularly at the massacre of Jo'Burg) still seems able to threaten a run on berth. Sheridan must be killing himself laughing. If it's not him though, you're looking at the Brumbies reserve prop Alexander (2 caps) or the 22 year old Sekope Kepu with zero caps to his name.

Hooker wise, Frier is a capable backup for Moore, the key quality here being able to hit a barn door which unfortunately the otherwise talented Polota-Nau cant do.

Should I be proven wrong, and Micheal Foley's 4 year plan comes to fruition there will be no more relieved supporter in the stands of Twickenham come November. This is a long tour though and unfortunately, I think my mortgage is safe.

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[NTT]

While our current 1st choice front row is solid vs the 3N sides, the NH sides are a whole new kettle of fish. Can't say i'm overly confident of any giant strides of improvement on this particular tour. If we achieve parity with the English and French scrums we could almost claim to have an adequate pack of our own.
The other thing that is scaring me is injuries. The tour hasn't even started and we are scratching for a tight 5. If any props go down we'll struggle big time.