Monday’s rugby news has Cooper questioned, the Wallabies reacting to their huge loss and Burgess impressive for England.
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Cooper happy with performance
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has defended his five-eighth selection after Saturday’s crushing Bledisloe Cup loss, reassuring Quade Cooper that he would remain an essential part of the squad in the lead up to the World Cup. ‘I thought he put us in good position early on and made some good plays and led us around the park well,’ Cheika said.
The 27-year-old made several errors in the first-half, but it was his sin-binning early in the second-half for a head-high tackle that saw the All Blacks stretch their lead. ‘When I was out there I was able to do everything that was required of me,’ said Cooper, who will have to stave off challenges from Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Matt Toomua and possibly Matt Giteau.
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Moore learning from loss
Stephen Moore has emphasized that his side must take a few harsh lessons out of Saturday night’s loss, with the Wallabies skipper lamenting the team’s inability to match the All Blacks physically throughout the contest. ‘I thought physically we aimed up for most of the game,’ Moore said. ‘There were periods there when we just dropped away and they punished us and that was the difference.’
The Wallabies hooker also said that the side did not aim up after falling a man down in the second half, allowing the All Blacks to post three tries in the next six minutes. ‘The tempo went up, particularly when we were down a man,’ he said. ‘We need to learn from those periods and be able to operate a man down like that, if it happens again.’ [/one_half] [one_half last=”no”]
Wallabies motivated
Australia will use their humbling at the hands of New Zealand as extra motivation for the upcoming World Cup, Test veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper has asserted. “I think what we’ll draw back on is just how much the boys are hurting,” he said. ‘We’ll remember this night, we’ll remember what we felt after the game and we’ll look to use that.’
The Wallabies centre also emphasized that the squad had done all it could in their Rugby Championship preparations but that the All Blacks were simply too good in responding to their loss in the first Bledoisloe Cup match. Michael Cheika’s Wallabies – who face both Wales and England in this year’s Pool of Death – will have to shift their focus from the weekend’s disappointment with World Cup fixtures only a month away. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
Burgess strengthens claim
Rugby league convert Sam Burgess has made an impressive start to his Test career in England’s 19-14 win over France at Twickenham on Saturday night. Burgess started at inside centre and was strong in defence, while getting his side over the advantage line on the early phases.
Burgess did concede a soft yellow card late in the first half when he tackled Morgan Parra, despite being clearly offside following a quick tap by the half-back. All World Cup squads need to be trimmed to their final 31 players by August 31, and Bath coach Mike Ford has praised Burgess as a lock for the World Cup. Conversely, former England scrum-half Matt Dawson said that England should take centre Henry Slade instead, saying that Burgess ‘played like a six rather than a 12.’ [/one_half]
