Tuesday’s rugby news has Aussie scrum talk, Eddie Jones giving his two cents on the halves, the Sevens remaining confident and the Welsh coming to terms with major injuries.
[one_half last=”no”]
Aussie scrum confident
Australia coach Michael Cheika believes the Wallabies are ready to put their set-piece woes behind them in the World Cup’s pool of death. Australia have a long history of being outmuscled at the set piece by their most prominent Pool A rivals England and Wales. While the Wallabies were able to dominate the US scrum, their pool matches will obviously be a massive step up
“We have been working really, really hard on the scrum and we know going to the World Cup it is going to be a key focus for us as a Wallaby group,” James Slipper said. “England and Wales may have identified our scrum as a place maybe they can target but in saying that we are more than happy to take them on there.”
[/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
Eddie wants Reds halves
Eddie Jones has called for Will Genia and Quade Cooper to be the starting halves pairing during the World Cup. The Wallabies started the match with Waratahs playmaker pairing Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley, limping to a 14-10 lead, while Genia moved into the halfback position six minutes into the much stronger second half.
Despite this endorsement, with Phipps criticized for having an inconsistent pass, Jones said that Genia is still struggling to find his form. “He looked competent, but didn’t look a threat when he ran,” Jones said. “He just had so much power [before]. We haven’t seen that for a while.”
[/one_half] [one_half last=”no”]
Sevens team remains upbeat
The Australian Sevens team has remained confident of qualifying for the Rio Olympics despite the major disruption that will likely be felt by the shock resignation of their head coach Geraint John. The national women’s coach Tim Walsh has stepped into John’s absence in an interim role.
“It’s going to be a perfect fit for us and hopefully we can get the job done,” Sevens captain Ed Jenkins said. “Tim’s been around the team for a few years now so it’s nothing new to us.” The women’s side have already secured a place in Brazil, with their male team-mates awaiting on an Olympic qualifier in November.
[/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
Wales ‘in mourning’
Shane Williams has questioned Wales coach Warren Gatland’s decision to field Leigh Halfpenny against Italy on Saturday in a move that backfired, with the full-back suffering a knee ligament. Former Wales wing Williams admitted the country is already ‘in mourning’ over injuries to Halfpenny and scrum-half Rhys Webb
‘Rhys Webb has been the form player for Wales over the last two seasons,’ Williams said. ‘To lose Halfpenny as well, it’s just a massive blow for Wales and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.’ Former Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan has called on Gatland to draft Mike Phillips back into his Wales squad.
[/one_half]
