Mark Chisholm could bring Wallabies a quick fix in second row

[travelling_gerry]

THE Wallabies front row understandably is under the spotlight leading into Saturday's second Test against England in Sydney but the fastest fix to Australia's scrum problems using existing personnel might just be a change in the second row.

Australia started the Perth Test with Nathan Sharpe packing as the right-hand second-rower behind tighthead Salesi Ma'afu, with Dean Mumm on the left-hand side behind loosehead Ben Daley.
Shoulder injuries have tended to make Sharpe a reluctant tighthead lock and he would always play on the left-hand side whenever selected in tandem with Dan Vickerman or James Horwill, both locks capable of providing solid backing to the tighthead.

Young Reds prop James Slipper earned widespread praise for his performance off the bench, initially as a replacement for Daley at loosehead. He then switched to the tighthead side once Ma'afu was sin-binned in the 68th minute for repeated scrum offences, with a barely rested Daley resuming duty on the left-hand side.

But as stoutly as Slipper performed on debut, two things acted in his favour. The first was that virtually as Ma'afu was making his way off the ground, Bath prop David Wilson, who played tighthead against the Wallabies at Twickenham last November, was sent on to replace Tim Payne as the England loosehead.

That meant that Slipper, at tighthead, was scrummaging against a specialist tighthead playing out of position.

But perhaps more importantly, Mark Chisholm was sent on to take over from Dean Mumm in the Australian second row.

A muscular 112kg and one of the strongest players in the Wallabies squad, Chisholm immediately packed into the scrum on the right-hand side behind Slipper, with Sharpe switching to loosehead lock. Using this formation, the seven-man Australian pack twice withstood the eight-man England shove.

In Horwill's continued absence, Chisholm is the only specialist tighthead lock in the Australian Test squad and his 112kg could help to shore up the right-hand side of the scrum.

But weight alone will not solve Australia's scrummaging problems. Cameras at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night revealed that loosehead Daley and hooker Faingaa were angling left-to-right while tighthead Ma'afu employed a right-to-left technique. That split the Australian scrum, completely diffusing what weight was coming from the back five.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225879637645

[travelling_gerry]

Patricio Noriega will prop up crumbling pack

* Iain Payten in Perth
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* June 14, 2010 12:00AM



THE return of Tatafu Polota-Nau, a possible promotion for James Slipper and a session from hell with Patricio Noriega tomorrow shape as the keys to fixing the battered Wallabies' scrum ahead of the second Test against England in Sydney.

Brilliant attack and strong defence saw the Wallabies earn a 27-17 victory in Perth on Saturday night, but it came despite a horror night at scrum time where England ruthlessly exploited the green streak of a golden front-row which had just two Test caps experience combined.

Despite conceding they "came second in the scrum contest" by giving up two penalty tries, coach Robbie Deans is not planning drastic changes or recalling senior props to prevent another mauling in Sydney.

Deans backed his rookie front-rowers to be "much wiser" at ANZ Stadium and the first step toward rebuilding the Wallabies' scrum came yesterday with the return of experienced Test No. 2 Polota-Nau from Australia's crowded casualty ward.

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The NSW hooker was named to start for the Australian Barbarians against England in Gosford tomorrow night, having recovered sufficiently from an ankle injury to avoid surgery. He will be available for the second Test, and selectors could also opt to have the Queensland bolter Slipper alongside him at tighthead after yet another impressive cameo at the weekend.

Slipper came on in the 65th minute with England's scrum besieging the Wallabies line, and after Salesi Ma'afu was sin-binned moments later, moved to tighthead in a seven-man scrum.

The 21-year-old was strong and the depleted Wallabies pack even held England at times, pointing to a man unknown to most a month ago starting at No. 3 in Sydney.

"James has been great. He is built for it. He is made for it. He has responded to every opportunity. It is a great indicator," Deans said.

It may have been a daunting but Slipper, for his part, sounded like a prop worth his salt by saying it was "a dream come true" to get on with the scrum under fire.

"I was definitely nervous but I was keen to get in there and have a crack, that's for sure," he said.

The forensic review of the Aussie scrum got underway yesterday but though bashed by England, debutant prop Ben Daley said round two would be a fairer fight.

"You learn something in every game, and what doesn't kill you will make you stronger," Daley said.

Noriega, the Wallabies' fiery scrum coach, said: "We lost the first battle but this is rugby. I know they know what it needs to come to a Test front-row in rugby."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225879166183

[beige]

Patricio Noriega will prop up crumbling pack

Had to look at that one twice...

[TOCC]

i think i would prefer Chisolm starting after Mumm's average form, Chisolms only problem is that he tends to seagull a bit, cant have a lock doing that against England