DREW MITCHELL and teammate Dean Mumm nearly came to blows during a fiery Waratahs training session yesterday.
The pair grabbed each other by their collars and began a shoving exchange before backing away. The ill feeling did not spill over afterwards, however, as they managed to have a laugh once the exhaustive conditioning session finished.
The drama erupted during a game of touch when Mitchell ran towards Al Baxter, who grabbed the winger front on. As Baxter and Mitchell wrestled, the speedster tripped the prop, and Mumm, who was playing in Baxter's team, rushed in to confront him.
The pair shoved each other, and later Mumm claimed Mitchell had landed a punch on him. Mitchell, who is 14 kilograms lighter and 14 centimetres shorter than Mumm, was relieved after training that the fight had not escalated.
''Often in fitness some little things get on each others' nerves, we're both no different,'' Mitchell told the Herald. ''It started between Al and myself, and 'Mummy' came in because he was on his side, he came to help him out. It's one of those things that happens a fair bit under fatigue and under duress. Things can get under each other's skins, and I guess everyone being as competitive as they are, things can rear their heads at times.
''At the end of the day, you have a joke about it afterwards, and I was probably pretty thankful that it didn't come to blows.
''I'm not sure if brave is the right word; I probably just wasn't able to think under fatigue. I found myself afterwards thinking, 'What was I doing?' Thankfully they kept their guns in their holsters.''
Mitchell and Mumm are part of the Waratahs' four-man leadership group, and reflected the vibe of a tense training session. It was brutal as NSW's forwards bashed each other during contact drills and mauling practice. The Waratahs are seething at their performance last Friday against the Crusaders, and, despite having a bye this weekend, trained as though they were preparing for a semi-final.
Amid the impact of bodies, groans and grunts could be heard from the sideline at Victoria Barracks as the forward pack - minus the injured Phil Waugh, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Wycliff Palu - toiled under the orders of assistant coach Michael Foley.
''I think there is, quite evidently, some frustration out of that performance,'' Mitchell said. ''We went over there with the intention of playing a certain way and going out with a certain mindset, and we let ourselves down in that regard.
''In a way, it's unfortunate that we have a bye this weekend because we'd like to get out there as soon as possible and make amends. I guess on the flip side we are a little bit lucky to be able to recover from a few niggles to a few key players.''
Mitchell said they were looking to rediscover the menacing mental approach that allowed them to physically dominate Melbourne and Queensland in the first two rounds.
The Waratahs host the Cheetahs on March 19, and have been given a rest today, which is timely considering most will likely be nursing bruises.
