The scrum was immense. There weren't a lot of them, but given the poms thought they would smash us here, it really made them drop their heads.
I feared the worst also after the Paris game. Timani would have helped against France supporting Kepu on the TH side but regardless, Kepu went down in my estimation. Fat Cat was decent enough on the LH side against Mas, but the TH side was a mess.
Picamoles may have been given a gap to score that scrum try because Dennis was held back illegally, but the damage was already done by France LHP Forestier, who surprised me on his debut. Picamoles could have scored that try legally I reckon, because the scrum was wheeled by driving on the LH side, not tricks, and Dennis would have been too far away.
Alexander, sitting in the stand, looked like the best Oz prop in Paris, but how would he go against the Poms?
I have to put my hand up and say that I misjudged Alexander as a TH scrummager - because I remembered him hinging down too much. I didn't think Alexander would have too much of a problem against Marler but did not expect him to chew him up and spit out the bones.
Robinson did brilliantly against Cole, one of the best THPs in Europe on reputation, but the only notable thing Cole did on the night was to go into an Oz ruck and put his hands down on the ground beyond the ball, then flick it to his right with his left hand. Timani and Phipps noticed this but not Poite and a minute later Tuilagi "scored" after pushing the ball forward along the ground an inch or two.
Joubert wouldn't have missed that effort by Coles - he looks for hands on the ground past the ball.
The only scrum that Oz had trouble with was when young Vunipola replaced Marler. The big fella did what he has done in the Aviva Premiership a bit this year: he put his arse out to the left, drove inside, got his head under Aleaxander's chest and lifted him up like a bull tossing a matador. A strong bugger - I'll say that for him.
The English referees know him and he wouldn't have got away with that in the AP, but Poite was on Vunipola's side of the scrum yet penalised Moore for standing up if I recall his comments correctly.
Poite is one of my favourite referees but he had an ordinary game. Players from both sides were offside around the ruck and I was nervous in case he would notice an Aussie player in front.
As for Moore: he should be starting now. TPN got a head knock and he should have been taken off as there was blood present and therefore the concussion examination dispensation would not have been needed. Regardless - one expects him to drop the ball every time he runs with it and half the time you are right.
The Wobs must have done a bit of scrum practice before the England test. I hope that they are practising restarts this week, especially recovering their own shallow kicks and defending against them.
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