0
We need to toughen up to beat All Blacks, says Sharpe
The West Australian July 30, 2010, 9:40 am
Getty Images / Robert Prezioso © Enlarge photo
It's been eight long years since the Wallabies sipped from the Bledisloe Cup and the only man left doesn't mind admitting that mental frailty has been at the heart of their failures.
To put it bluntly, lock Nathan Sharpe - Australian rugby's great survivor - believes it's time for his team to learn from mistakes and harden up.
Not only was 2002 the last time the Wallabies claimed the symbol of trans-Tasman rugby supremacy but the current outfit is in danger of sinking to the worst Bledisloe losing streak in 63 years.
Since Robbie Deans led his adopted nation to a first-up 34-19 victory in 2008, they have tasted defeat in the past seven Tests.
More damning is the painful fact Australia were leading at halftime in five of those contests.
The leads were never huge, the biggest was nine points, but Deans' men took their feet off All Black throats. They allowed their arch-rivals to claw their way back, rediscover some confidence, and the men in gold suffered the consequences.
Injury restricted Sharpe to only four of those seven Tests but he doesn't take long to assess how much that sorry record has been due to a lack of mental strength.
"I think all of it," the 32-year-old Western Force skipper told AAP.
"Both teams are fit, are skilful, are strong. But in terms of mental strength it's not about who's the bravest to go into contact, that's an element, I think mental strength is being hard on executing your game plan all night.
"It's not playing hard for 60 minutes and then having a lapse for 10 minutes and fluffing your way through."
Those hour-long efforts, and an inability to back up strong displays the next week, have been hallmarks of Deans' young team.
Sharpe, to join former skipper John Eales as Australia's most-capped second-rower when he plays his 84th Test on Saturday night, is the most experienced player, ahead of Matt Giteau.
He's seen fellow ageing warriors like George Smith, Stirling Mortlock, Phil Waugh and Al Baxter - all 2003 World Cup starters - retire, fade away or be overlooked in Deans' generational change.
"You don't want to go through that (pain) again," Sharpe said of the Bledisloe failures.
"You definitely learn from your losses and poor games and there comes a time when you want to stop learning the hard way and learn from being on the other end of the scoreboard.
"There's no doubt that the All Blacks are the best team in the world at the moment but we know we can compete with them."
Most painful were back-to-back losses in Auckland and Sydney last year when NZ's psychological edge burned brightly for all to see.
At Eden Park, the Wallabies dominated the opening half but instead of having an unassailable lead the home side was able to grind their way back after Berrick Barnes bombed a five-pointer.
In Sydney, the trend continued when Daniel Carter kicked a late penalty to steal a 19-18 victory.
To add injury to insult, Sharpe suffered a season-ending shoulder problem.
"You're disappointed because you know you can beat that team and you didn't take that opportunity," he said. "They're the ones that hurt the most."
While it's NZ regularly pulling off great escapes now, it was less than a decade a go when Australia won eight of 11 Bledisloe Tests and consistently found ways to get out of jail.
The most famous were Eales' last-gasp long-range penalty in Wellington in 2000 and Toutai Kefu's tackle-busting 2001 try in the dying moments of Eales' farewell Test.
Sharpe even got to enjoy a sweet comeback triumph in his first trans-Tasman series when Mat Rogers crossed for a late match-winner to tie the 2002 series and keep the cup.
"You don't realise until you get older that those opportunities don't happen every year," he said.
Sharpe's second-row rival, former Brisbane Broncos forward Brad Thorn, puts the All Blacks' superiority down to experienced cool heads such as Carter, Richie McCaw and co.
"I think it's helped us having some good experience," Thorn said. "The Wallabies were doing it in the early 2000s, they had a core of experienced guys and I think that helps in the back stages of the game."
That Sharpe will line up at Etihad Stadium is a testament to his durability and desire to finish his Test career on a high.
He was unceremoniously dumped by Deans in the 2007 Tri-Nations, left out of a 26-man squad after starting the previous 39-10 loss to NZ.
He was "filthy" but vowed to make the most of any chance that might come around. Luckily for him he only had to wait one Test.
"I don't know if it was a crossroads moment but when I didn't get picked to go to South Africa I was pissed off for a period of time," he said.
"I look back on it, it was a bad time in my career but it's probably got me to get better and play well now."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...s-says-sharpe/
Reply With Quote
Controlled aggression is the key boys get the All Blacks thinking about when the next hit is coming and put them off their game.
