England expects Aussie pack mentality

[Burgs]

England expects Aussie pack mentality

PA Sport
Monday, October 01, 2007 - 08:57 AM (AEST)

England's coaches are certain Australia will not be soft touches during the scrummage battle in their World Cup quarter-final.

The reigning world champions head to Marseille after booking a last-eight place with a 36-20 victory over Tonga that secured runners-up spot in Pool A.

Australia now awaits, having not lost a match in the tournament so far. The Wallabies are desperate to avenge the dramatic 2003 World Cup final defeat when Jonny Wilkinson's late drop-goal saw England land the Webb Ellis Trophy.

England, notably two years ago at Twickenham, have enjoyed a domination of Australia in the scrum, putting a huge onus on the likely front-row trio Andrew Sheridan, George Chuter and Phil Vickery.

But forwards coach John Wells and scrum specialist Graham Rowntree believe it would be a dangerous game to write off the Wallabies in that key contact area.

"There is no doubt their scrummage has taken a good turn," Wells said.

"Before the tournament, people pinpointed it as a potential weakness, but their scrummage and driving play has come on immensely."

And Rowntree added: "Australia are better in that area than when we played them in 2005, and I genuinely believe they are looking to scrummage."

"I have a lot of respect for Michael Foley (Australia forwards coach). He is one of the best front-row coaches in the world."

"The scrum is no longer just a restart for them. They are looking to take teams on."

"They looked to take Wales on in that area (earlier in the pool stages), and I was disappointed in how Wales reacted to that. It became a penalty competition."

England head coach Brian Ashton will hope that full-back Jason Robinson (hamstring) and flanker Tom Rees (thigh) are available for selection after they were sidelined for the Tonga clash, but England look to have emerged from a punishing encounter without any major fitness scares.

Several of the squad spent a recent day off at Disneyland Paris before reconvening to begin the task of plotting Australia's downfall.

"Over the last two weeks there has been a lot of criticism and the players have had to handle that, but they have dug in and worked hard," Wells said.

"The two wins over Samoa and Tonga have given us a lot of confidence, but we will have to continue to work hard to improve for the next fixture."

"We have been pilloried in the press, probably at times quite rightly, but we have come through two difficult games against very tough opposition."

"We have achieved our first objective, which was to get out of our group."

"While you are in it you can still win it, and I am confident that if we are on top of our game we can give a good account of ourselves."

"Our confidence is good. Yes, we still need to improve, we know that, but if we keep chipping away and are on top of our game, then I would like to think we could be very competitive."

[Burgs]

Muggleton seeks extra 2.9 per cent

From Wayne Smith in Bordeaux, France
October 01, 2007

THE dark scowl that John Muggleton has been wearing recently has given way to the broad smile that only a wholehearted tackling display from his players can bring to the face of Australia's defensive coach.

Muggleton is, without question, the best in the business at what he does, and he took it personally when the Wallabies eased off to allow Wales and Fiji to score two tries apiece over the past fortnight.

Granted, he was prepared to cut a little slack when Shane Williams scampered over while the Wallabies were down to 13 players after the sin-binning of Drew Mitchell and Nathan Sharpe at Millennium Stadium.

But there were no allowances from him for Jonathan Thomas's close-to-the-line surge, even though the minnows have demonstrated they will ultimately find a way to batter through the defensive wall. As long as they can maintain possession through a long sequence of pick-and-drives close to the white paint. The Romanians did it yesterday against the New Zealand, and even Portugal did it against the tournament favourite a fortnight ago.

If those tries caused Muggleton offence, it is not difficult to guess how he reacted to Mosese Raulini strolling straight through the middle of the Wallabies lineout or Isoa Neivua bulldozing over the top of Adam Ashley-Cooper and Lote Tuqiri for Fiji's two tries in Montpellier.

The whips have been cracking during Australia's defensive drills of late.

All of which explains why Muggleton was beaming after the second-string "tacklebaggers" rose to his challenge against Canada in Bordeaux yesterday, producing what tournament statisticians rated as the first display of 100 per cent tackling efficiency of the tournament.

While the match stats read that the Wallabies had nailed 47 tackles out of 47, Muggleton noted two misses - one by full back Chris Latham on a kick-chase, another by halfback Sam Cordingley close to the melee.

"Much as I'd like to claim a perfect record, it was actually 97.1 per cent," Muggleton said.

"So we have to find that extra 2.9 per cent against England because ... that can be the difference between winning and losing."

Canada most certainly was not England, but there are enough similarities between the two sides and their approach to the game to have made yesterday's heavyweight battle a valuable preparation for the quarter-final.

Like England, the Maple Leafs rumble around the corner of the rucks.

But each time they ventured down this path against Australia, they weren't just stopped in their tracks, they usually were flung backwards.

"The big thing we picked up was that hammer-drive defence on the side of the ruck," Muggleton said.

"We knew it was coming and it will be coming from England as well. But where in recent weeks, we've been waiting for the opposition to come to us, this time we went hunting for them and I thought Hugh McMeniman was outstanding in the way he led that close-to-the-ruck defence."

[Burgs]

It's time to bury the ghosts: Mortlock

Rupert Guinness in Montpellier | October 1, 2007

WALLABIES captain Stirling Mortlock is happy to see the back of four weeks of World Cup group games and the endless speculation over who would do what, when, where and how in the sudden-death knockout rounds starting this week.

And that's even if it does mean, from now on, there is no room for excuses or mistakes should the outcome be defeat.

"There is some sense of relief, or I guess more excitement really," said Mortlock, who is optimistic he will be available to play Saturday's quarter-final against England at Marseilles after recovering from a slightly dislocated left shoulder.

"You go through the pool matches. The aim is to progress, but the underlying aim is to improve on our rugby and how we do things. We have done that to a certain extent. But we know the challenge in front of us will be quite significant.

"The beauty of being in this situation is that you have one objective in front of you, and hopefully two more weeks in front of you [with a semi-final and final]. You can't look beyond this week. We have put all our power for this match.

"This is where the business end of the tournament is. And with that comes more pressure and expectation. Our preparation has to be faultless."

As it must. For a loss to England would mean a premature end to the Wallabies' World Cup campaign. That in turn would mean a painful 21-hour plane trip home for those in the 30-man squad who return to Australia, or a depressing start to end of season holidays.

Mortlock, for whom the next week will be the most defining of his Wallabies captaincy, revealed that the prospect of facing England in the quarter-finals had been in the back of his mind for a long time.

"It has always been lingering throughout the pool matches. But now it is a reality and in front of us. And we have a week to prepare," he said. "But I'm very excited. First, I am confident I will be right to play. Second, quarter-finals are sudden-death rugby. And that is what it is all about in a World Cup."

Mortlock smiled when asked why Wallabies coach John Connolly rejected suggestions that the memory of Australia's 2003 final loss to England was on the minds of those in that year's Wallabies squad and being used as motivation this year.

The skipper has spoken openly about the gut-wrenching angst he felt about that defeat, as have several other Wallabies. But on Saturday, as he watched the Wallabies play from the stands, he evoked the richness of the long-standing rivalry between Australia and England.

"A lot of the guys have their own individual methods of getting themselves up for different matches," he said.

"I was pretty much commenting on the rivalry England and Australia have across many sports. And likewise in rugby there is a fair rivalry there.

"But they were a different team then and we were a different team then. So it is a totally different challenge now."

[Burgs]

Yes JO'N, you are stating "the bleeding obvious" but I think it is a little below the ARU's main man to be doing so. How about zipping it and feeding the lines through your minions?

Angry reaction to O'Neill's attack

From Peter Jenkins in Bordeaux, France
October 01, 2007

AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill blasted England's "born-to-rule mentality" as verbal warfare erupted last night in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final countdown.

Former England wing Austin Healey has demanded the ARU chief executive be fined ahead of the sudden-death battle in Marseille, over an earlier outburst in which the Australian claimed that all Australians hate the Poms.

The motormouth speedster, writing for the Daily Mirror in the UK, raged that O'Neill could not escape scot free for insulting the whole of England.

"To say that about another nation undoubtedly brings the game into disrepute," Healy wrote.

"Get him in the dock. Fine and sanction him for slagging off the mother country.(Excuse me Austin???)

"I would love to think England can shove the words back down his throat when the two countries meet in next week's quarter-final."

But O'Neill was in no mood to recant as the oldest rivalry in world sport took on an even sharper edge.

He took fresh aim and emptied both barrels at the last country standing in the way of the Wallabies and a looming semi-final against New Zealand in Paris on October 13.

"I stand by what I said," he said.

"Whether it's cricket, rugby league or rugby union, we do all hate England.

"All I'm doing is stating the bleeding obvious.

"No one likes England.

"If they want further proof, how do they think France won the right to host this World Cup?

"It's simple. No one would vote for England, and they were the only other country in the running. The only votes England could be assured of back then were their own.

"Sadly, this is all a by-product of their born-to-rule mentality.

"It's been there for a long time, nothing has changed."

O'Neill launched his latest attack a day after Wallabies legend David Campese branded the defending world champion boring. (Hello 1991 all over again!)

Campese said it would be a tragedy for the Rugby World Cup if the one-dimensional England game plan, built on forward muscle and the left boot of five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson, edged past the Wallabies into the tournament's last four.

[Burgs]

Mitchell eclipses Campese try record

September 30, 2007 - 4:34PM

With apologies to Charles Dickens, it's the best of times and the worst of times in the tale of two Wallabies wingers.

Drew Mitchell scored his record sixth and seventh tries in the 2007 World Cup in Bordeaux as Lote Tuqiri again failed to open his tournament account.

But while Mitchell is a try-magnet, he will struggle to get a start in Saturday's quarter-final showdown with England in Marseille.

Powerful utility Adam Ashley-Cooper has his nose in front to mark English speedster Paul Sackey despite Mitchell closing the gap with a glittering two-try display.

Tuqiri, on the other hand, is untouchable on the right wing even though the frustrations of his scoring drought were evident in Australia's ugly 37-6 win over Canada.

Playing at outside centre in a patched-up backline, the millionaire back was menacing whenever he touched the ball and made three line breaks and also helped set up three tries.

But he showed how desperate he was to cross the line by selfishly dummying to Mitchell in the second half when an elementary draw and pass would have led to a simple try.

Mitchell and the 33,000 fans in the Stade Chaban-Delmas didn't let Tuqiri hide from the mistake.

As the crowd booed another Wallabies bombed try, Mitchell gave his close mate a death stare which he couldn't miss.

"He was filthy at me," Tuqiri said.

"I got back up and saw his death eyes on me. He'll be into me the whole night."

The former league star did make it up to Mitchell soon after by breaking the line and finding Chris Latham who skillfully put the blazing winger away for his second.

When Tuqiri delivered the last pass for Latham to cross for the last try, the fullback lamented "Oh mate, you can't buy one."

"No tries but that's what you do at 13 and as long as we're scoring tries I'm sweet," said Tuqiri, sporting six stitches on his chin. "Drew Mitchell just keeps scoring tries.

"I said to him yesterday he would score two minimum and he did that."

Mitchell's double broke David Campese's Australian tournament record of six and puts him in uncharted territory for anyone but an All Black.

He has seven from four matches, just one behind Jonah Lomu's 1999 record.

Latham's try also gave him 11 in World Cup matches, eclipsing Campese's mark of 10.

Coach John Connolly last week conceded Ashley-Cooper was the favourite to return to the left wing but indicated it was a tough call.

The Brumby's better defence is likely to see him win out at the selection table while there are no thoughts of dropping the combative Tuqiri.

"It will be close," Connolly said. "It will be discussed.

"They're both two very good young players."

Mitchell is unsure of where he sits but was pleased to have put his hand up in the second half after struggling to get his hands on the ball before halftime.

He killed off the abrasive Canucks by latching onto a Julian Huxley banana kick in the 62nd minute for a 25-6 lead.

"It was nice to add to the tally and getting another two is great," Mitchell said.

"I was just fortunate enough to try and get a little bit more involved in the second half and things went all right."

AAP

[Jehna]

Oh i can tell you that Drew is a lot more filthy than what he comes across at... And not just at Lote who btw fully deserves it...

That article jsut baffels me...wtf is wrong with knuckles?! Coops isn't even that good in defence...i just hate the way knuckles latches onto players who can do no wrong and he never opens the doors for anyone else.. *sigh*

And now we have this from Drew....the poor guy...what else can he do?!

______________________________________

Mitchell promises to try harder
From Wayne Smith in Bordeaux, France
October 01, 2007

ANY Australia wing who has just eclipsed David Campese and now stands on the cusp of joining Jonah Lomu as the leading try-scorer at a Rugby World Cup should be sleeping soundly, knowing all is well with the universe and, more importantly, with the selectors.

Not so Drew Mitchell.

The mop-haired flyer grabbed another brace against Canada in Bordeaux yesterday to become the leading try-scorer at this tournament with seven, one more than Campese notched when Australia won the Webb Ellis Cup in 1991.

Indeed, Mitchell would already have equalled Lomu's 1999 tournament haul of eight had not Lote Tuqiri, still seeking his first try in France, not succumbed to a forgivable moment of selfishness.

The imposing New South Wales wing had thundered into open space in the 55th minute with Mitchell cantering at his side.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was Mitchell, who has had so many tries lavished upon him while Tuqiri has had none, giving him close support that prompted Tuqiri to ignore his teammate and attempt to beat the last defender on his own. He couldn't and the try went begging.

"He sort of gave me a bit of a look to say 'sorry' and I gave him a bit of a glare," Mitchell said with a laugh after the 37-6 win.

"But at the moment, those seven tries are a pretty good feeling. I've just been lucky to have been on the end of some good attacking footy in the lead-up. I'm just finishing it off." (and he's even modest about it...but this is EXACTLY what a winger does...grr)

That's a fair assessment, and the one that coach John Connolly and fellow selectors will make when weighing up whether to go with Mitchell's speed and try-savvy instead with the less flashy but more secure Adam Ashley-Cooper on the left wing against England in the quarter-final at Marseille on Saturday.

It's essentially a no-lose option and the sort of selection dilemma that England would love to have, even if Paul Sackey's two-try return against Tonga did remedy in part the world champion's distinct lack of strike power out wide.

Neither of Sackey's tries involved anything as complicated as beating a defender. (bahaha yeah so complicated in rugby....what a novel concept...beating a defender..)

For the first, he simply used his speed to position himself for Jonny Wilkinson's predictably pinpoint cross-kick into the Tonga in-goal, while the second involved scooping up a dropped ball behind the islanders' attacking line and sprinting 70 metres to score.

While the second try was unremarkable, it will have reinforced to Connolly the danger of selecting a wing with suspect hands - Mitchell's one serious flaw. (I'm not convinced of this...can someone please put forward a case for this? In all seriousness..because i'm trying really hard to see where knuckles is coming from and i know i'm just slightly biased towards Drew...) That one wing spot would appear to be the only position still undecided in the Wallabies' quarter-final starting XV.

With Stirling Mortlock definitely back at outside centre and Stephen Larkham the only person still clinging to the hope that he might yet come into the reckoning for one last tilt at England, there is not much about the starting line-up to cause the selectors to tarry.

In fact, much as he keeps hoping he will make a miraculous recovery from his infected right knee, Larkham is realistic enough to accept that, with Australia having a more-than-adequate replacement for him in Berrick Barnes, it would be folly to rush back.

Although the run-on team virtually picks itself, there are dilemmas aplenty as far as the make-up of the Australia bench is concerned.

Connolly warned last week that halfback Sam Cordingley would need to mount an irresistible case against Canada if the selectors were to abandon their preferred 5- split on the bench 2 (five forwards, two backs) and move instead to the more conventional 4-3 balance. Even Cordingley didn't think he had succeeded.

"I don't know if I've done enough," Cordingley said. "I think there was an expectation that to get into the 22 next week, I had to set the world on fire and I don't know I did that." (no mate...you didn't) Still, it's hard to light a blaze when the rain is tumbling down.

Cordingley is well aware the main point of difference between himself and George Gregan is the fact that the Queenslander is prepared to take on the line with sniping darts. (not to mention his experience and leadership)

The only real selection winner was man of the match Hugh McMeniman, who revelled in the conditions at Stade Chaban Delmas, rampaging all over the field and introducing such a disruptive element to Australia's defensive lineout that the Canadians won only half of their 17 throws.

"I tried to take my chances, although I made a couple of mistakes," McMeniman said. (I reckon he def deserves a bench spot) "I'd love to be in the starting side but I'll settle for a bench spot. "That's better than nothing, better than being a double-D (a so-called dirty-dirty, those players not required even as a reserve)."

The Australian

[RuckNMaul]

woah, did i just walk into cut and paste plaza or what?

[Jehna]

Lol...i didn't experience year 2 for nothing Krush

[Jehna]

So i think it's safer if i just don't comment on this...but seriously... god why can't he just shut up?

_______________________________
England has 'got nothing'

From Peter Jenkins in Bordeaux, France
October 01, 2007
AUSTRALIA wing Lote Tuqiri taunted the England backline last night, claiming its only world-class star was an injury victim struggling to be fit for the Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Marseille.

Tuqiri delivered his explosive low rating while revealing that he feared only one England player: sidelined full back Jason Robinson.

The 33-year-old dual international limped out of the crushing defeat by South Africa in Paris two weeks ago, and he is considered to have virtually no chance of returning from a hamstring tear to face the Wallabies on Saturday.

Asked if the comeback of five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson had been offset by the loss of Robinson, Tuqiri replied: "It's massive."We don't know if he's going to be back, but he's probably their main attacking weapon.

"I don't like to say it, but Robinson is probably their only world-class back, the only one they've had playing in form." Casting an eye towards British reporters, he added: "There's your ammo boys." ()

Wilkinson has been hailed in England as the saviour in waiting for a stuttering Rugby World Cup title defence. But Tuqiri suggested the dancing feet of Robinson, recalled from retirement by England coach Brian Ashton, would be sorely missed by the reigning champion as the tournament heads into sudden death.

"You can put a wall against him in defence and he'll still manage to pop his head over the other side," Tuqiri said. "He's been great for English rugby league and rugby union. "He'll go down as one of the better players in both codes. "We're pretty confident in our defence anyway. "But if he's not there, given the world-class player he is, it's a big thing we don't have to worry about."

Where Robinson is all acceleration and quick-stepping elusiveness, Wilkinson offers a static threat with his kicking out of hand and off the tee. The injury-plagued pivot, two games back from an ankle strain, has never been renowned for fleet-footed flair. His game is cemented in a mastery of the basics. Robinson injected the unexpected.

The Wallabies will not expect Wilkinson to terrorise a well-marshalled defence that returned its second clean sheet for the tournament during a 37-6 win over Canada in their final pool match in Bordeaux yesterday.

But Tuqiri, still tryless at the Rugby World Cup, suggested that England flyer Paul Sackey would take some watching. Sackey, with four tries in his past two outings against Samoa and Tonga, has clocked 10.7sec for 100m.
"There you go, he's an athlete mate, and he knows how to run," Tuqiri said.
""Hopefully we don't give him too much space."

The Daily Telegraph

[Burgs]

woah, did i just walk into cut and paste plaza or what?

Just trying to cut back on threads a bit by getting all the relevant Aus v Eng stories together K Man.
Seems we may have turned into another Lote thread in the process though

[Jehna]

Hey...i'm just adding another story relevant to the lead up to the quarters...its not my fault he keeps shooting his mouth off...

[Jehna]

See Burgs...they're not all Lote orientated I just like this one for the picture hehe

________________________________________________
Sharpe points to taking chances

1/10/2007 5:25:32 PM
Sportal



A fully-fit Nathan Sharpe believes execution of scoring chances will be the difference between the Wallabies progressing to the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup or heading home after Saturday's quarter final against England.

Sharpe said that any Wallabies fan who thought Saturday's match in Marseille would be easy pickings for the in-form Australians was in for a rude shock and he expected a tough contest from a team which has improved as the tournament has worn on.

"They've started to build into this tournament very well and they're playing some better football at this stage of the tournament. It's no surprise to them that we're playing them. Ever since we beat Fiji, it's been a big focus for us," the powerful lock said.

"I guess when you look at the World Cup draw, you look at possible match ups and things and I suppose this is a game you could foresee. It hasn't snuck up on us and it's something all of the guys have really been looking forward to."

The key area of improvement Sharpe sees from the pool matches is the Wallabies need to make the most of their scoring chances.

"There's no secret they are going to play a very physical game against us, forward orientated and try and dominate that area," he said "I think we've just got to take our opportunities really well against England. In the last couple of weeks, we've created a lot of opportunities and haven't really finished them off.

"We're not going to get that many opportunities against England and certainly refereeing and all the rest of it comes into the equation, but if we make the most of our opportunities and make them pay on the scoreboard then that's going to be a good result for us."

Sharpe said that while much will be made of the Wallabies seeking revenge against England for the World Cup defeat of four years ago, that the motivation from within the squad was about securing glory here and now.

"I think the pleasing thing about this quarter final is that there is so much tradition between Australia and England. A lot of people talk about a rematch of the World Cup final I suppose, that will be spoken about during the week, At the end of the week, that ledger's gone, we'll never get that back, it will be certainly nice to take England out of the World Cup," he said.

"That's the beauty of this World Cup, either of us two teams are going to be headed home on Monday. We certainly don't want to be us."
Sharpe is confident that the elbow injury suffered in Saturday 37-6 win over Canada won't cause him any disruption ahead of the quarter final.

"It pulled up really well last night. The medical staff have given it a lot of treatment and it's pulled up very well today," he said. "The ligaments get a little bit weak and what not but the elbow's a pretty good joint in that you can brace it pretty well and stop it going in that awkward direction again, so we're lucky in that respect."

[Burgs]

Above equals a Coaches dream, clone Sharpies

[Jehna]

Lol damn straight Especially with that face...it's so priceless hehe