James O'Connor stood to toe-to-toe with veteran flanker Phil Waugh on Thursday to leave Wallabies coach Robbie Deans convinced the youngster is ready to take on the All Blacks in the Tri Nations match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday week.
O'Connor made no apologies for his brazen show of aggression after Wallabies scrum coach Patricio Noriega was forced to intervene - issuing a stern "no punches" warning - as the teenager shaped to square off with Waugh during another lively training session at Coogee Oval.
"It's pretty competitive and I don't think either of us wanted to back down, which is good," O'Connor said of the incident.
"Our approach has been we've got to bring a bit more mongrel to the next game and step up the physicality, and that's what we brought to training today.
"It was pretty intense."
Emotions have boiled over previously this season, with hooker Stephen Moore and prop Ben Alexander trading blows and Waugh ending a session with a bloodied head before the loss to the Springboks in Cape Town.
"It's been that way throughout to be honest, and that's good," Deans said on Thursday.
"They all want more."
With Stirling Mortlock ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, O'Connor is being billed as Australia's saviour following his dazzling display as the skipper's backline replacement for the final 50 minutes of the Test at Newlands.
Deans may yet opt to play Ryan Cross at outside centre in place of Mortlock, but he appears to be leaning towards starting O'Connor at fullback and moving Adam Ashley-Cooper into the midfield.
The poise and composure O'Connor showed at Newlands just three weeks after his nightmare against the All Blacks at Eden Park convinced Deans the 19-year-old is up to the pressures of starting a do-or-die Bledisloe Cup encounter.
"It was a remarkable response," Deans said.
"He's always had the talent but he's a young man so he's learning in the Test arena, which is very hard.
"Most young men get to learn the game at club level, where they can go back and seek the wise counsel of some elders, and the support and confidence.
"Whereas James is playing his learning experience in a Test match where he's got millions watching. The scrutiny is enormous, the consequence of error is often enormous, so it's tough.
"But he's shown the sort of courage he's got and the capability ... he wouldn't see it as intense pressure; he wants to be out there and he's shown on the weekend that he's more than ready."
O'Connor insists his Auckland ordeal is now well behind him.
"I tried to do a bit too much, but that's over now and I've moved on and I'm looking forward to the next challenges," he said.
"I've definitely got a bit of confidence at the moment."
Deans is also set to name Rocky Elsom in his 22-man squad for his first Wallabies appearance since the 2008 Tri Nations tournament.
The powerhouse flanker has been frustrated by deep knee bruising since his man-of-the-match performance in Leinster's Heineken Cup victory over Leicester seven weeks ago, but he was able to complete his first full session with the Wallabies on Thursday.
"He's pretty excited to be back," Deans said.
The coach also said that five-eighth Matt Giteau was in no doubt for the test against the All Blacks despite sitting out Thursday's training with a corked thigh.
