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Future of Aussie scrum on show
By Bret Harris
February 29, 2008
THREE of Australia's most promising young props will receive timely opportunities in the Super 14 round this weekend after injuries to established Wallabies front-rowers.
Rookie New South Wales props Sekope Kepu and Dan Palmer will make their Super 14 debuts against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday, while Brumbies tight-head Salesi Ma'afu is poised to start against Queensland in Canberra on Saturday night. How they perform could have important ramifications for the Wallabies this year.
Originally selected on the reserves bench, Kepu will start for the Waratahs after Al Baxter's withdrawal with a head knock. Kepu will play loose-head with Matt Dunning moving to Baxter's position on the other side of the scrum at tight-head.
Palmer, the son of former NSW hooker Peter Palmer, was chosen ahead of Benn Robinson as the new reserve prop.
The Brumbies will wait until their captain's run to allow Wallabies prop Guy Shepherdson time to recover, but it is almost certain he will not play.
The 124kg Ma'afu, who has 10 Super 14 caps after making his debut against the Chiefs last year, capped his rookie year with selection for the Barbarians against World Cup winners South Africa at Twickenham in December.
These exciting young front-row talents have not escaped the attention of Wallabies assistant coach Michael Foley.
"Kepu is extremely promising," Foley said. "His rugby skills are advanced and his scrummaging is also good. He has a great attitude. He is not overawed. He is aggressive, but he is controlled.
"Dan doesn't look around for someone to ask what to do. He has a good understanding of the scrum. He reminds me of Andrew Blades (former Wallabies prop), only bigger. He is low set and it is incredibly hard for anyone to get under him.
"They are two guys who could take the next step.
"Ma'afu is also very exciting, along with Dayna Edwards (Queensland reserve prop).
They are four exciting guys who are close to going somewhere in the near future."
Kepu, 22, could have been playing against one of the Australian teams this weekend if things had turned out differently.
Kepu was born in Sydney to Tongan parents, but attended Auckland's famous rugby nursery, Wesley College, and was an under-age New Zealand representative No.8.
New Zealand scrum guru Mike Kron turned Kepu into a prop before the under-19 world championships in South Africa in 2005.
While Kepu is new to Super 14, his opponents in the Highlanders' front row are familiar to him from playing in the Air New Zealand Cup. Kepu has no fears about coming to grips with giant Highlander props Jamie Mackintosh and Clint Newland.
This is just as well because the Waratahs scrum will be keen to redeem itself after an ineffective performance in the 20-17 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton last Saturday.
"I caught up with a few of them (Highlanders) last week after the Brumbies game," Kepu said. "I said 'hopefully, I'll see you guys next week'. It will be quite good to go up against them in the starting line-up.
"Probably last week I would have got more of a baptism of fire from the Chiefs boys, but these guys should be all right.
"A couple of them are good mates, but there are no friends on the rugby field. I'll go out there and protect myself and be the hunter rather than the hunted.
"I'll do my best to overcome them and actually dominate in the scrums. It's to my advantage that I have played them because it's nothing new.
"I'm not going to take anything from them. Mackintosh is a feisty fellow on the other side. I'll be looking to give him a few nudges."
Kepu, who missed last year's national provincial championship because of injury and was not picked up by a Super 14 team, admitted New Zealand coaches had tried to talk him out of moving back to Australia.
"It's quite funny," Kepu said. "They told me I wasn't going to get the quality of scrum coaching that I got in New Zealand and moving over here would be a bit of a challenge because I would have to work my way up the system again.
"I took that on board, but I didn't want to let it get to me. I'm just happy I made the move."
The Waratahs have made one other change, with second-rower Will Caldwell replacing Dean Mumm in the starting line-up.
The Australian
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