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Showing posts with label Aussies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aussies. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Big changes to super start on Monday - and CPAs say many Aussies may miss deadlines .. (audio)
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Sunday, 28 July 2013
Caveman hands Aussies surprise
Source: AP 
Intimidating ... The Wallabies are expecting a big game from Chabal. AFP Source: AFP 
Intimidating ... The Wallabies are expecting a big game from Chabal. AFP Source: AFP IF Sebastien "The Caveman" Chabal is the face of French rugby, what does that say about French rugby?
What it says to Australia coach Robbie Deans is that France will attempt to club the Wallabies into submission in Paris on Sunday (EDT).
It is difficult not to read that into Chabal's selection in the second row for this Test at Stade de France, given his introduction is the only unforced change in Les Bleus' starting XV from last weekend's 42-17 win over the Pacific Islanders.
"It would be for good reason," said Deans of Chabal's selection. "They won't have made the change lightly. It is obviously based on the way he plays and what he offers them and we know him pretty well."
Watch the Wallabies play France in Paris LIVE on Fox Sports 3 from 7am on Sunday 23 November
Chabal stirs the blood of French spectators in a way no Gallic player has done since the legendary Jean-Pierre Rives - which is not to say he is in the same league as the inspirational French captain of three decades past. Far from it.
If it were not for his carefully cultivated Neanderthal look, the sweaty hair, wild beard and even wilder eyes, Chabal would be just another hard-running forward, not as big as either Australian second-rower Nathan Sharpe or Hugh McMeniman.
But let him loose in front of his own crowd and all of France lifts. And clearly the French media believe he strikes fear in the hearts of opponents, pointedly asking Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock if there was any French player he was afraid of.
Mortlock, believing Chabal was not in Saturday's side, played along.
"He was the only guy I was scared of," he quipped, only to be told of the change in the French line-up. "Oh, he's playing? Then I'm very scared."
The Wallabies coach was not so whimsical in assessing Chabal's likely impact.
"Playing at Stade de France, he will embody, I suspect, their approach," said Deans, acknowledging that Chabal would bring the huge Parisian crowd very much into the picture.
"They're playing at home and they wouldn't have enjoyed their last experience against us, so they'll be wanting to belt us, to put it bluntly."
France's last experience of the Wallabies came in June when a dramatically understrength side, missing the superstars from the four club teams involved in the Top 14 finals, went down 34-13 and 40-10 in Sydney and Brisbane, respectively.
Chabal played honestly and earnestly in both Tests, but in a side populated by young stars from France's lesser club sides.
Aside from him and fellow World Cup squad members, captain Lionel Nallet and number eight Imanol Harinordoquy, only two other survivors of that touring side have found their way into the starting XV, loosehead Lionel Faure and flanker Fulgence Ouedrago.
Both sides went into the June series coached by men just feeling their way in the international arena, Deans having only one Test as coach under his belt, Marc Lievremont having just steered France through a less than distinguished Six Nations campaign.
"Both coaching staffs have an insight into each other, so obviously we'll both be second-guessing each other's approach, so we will be better for having seen each other play where previously both parties went in cold," Deans said.
"And obviously the French combination was one that was thrown together at the end of a long season. Different circumstance now. They're coming into their season now, they're fresh."
Deans has done what he can to freshen up the Australian side as well, resting three members of the pack who subdued England at Twickenham, scrum hero Benn Robinson, second-rower Mark Chisholm and number eight Richard Brown.
Into their places come Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, who will play at blindside flanker with Hugh McMeniman switching to the second-row, and Wycliff Palu. "Fresh legs," Deans explained. Fresh faces, too, Alexander most especially.
Ironically, the young prop will be making only his fourth Test appearance but his third against France, having come on as a second-half replacement in both June Tests.
"Maybe they're the only team that knows my name," Alexander joked.
Maybe. But there's a fair chance the Italians also filed it away under "troublemaker" after Alexander burst straight through their defence on several thunderous 40m charges at Padua a fortnight ago. Sensibly, he is making no promises of a repeat performance against Les Bleus.
"If the runs come this weekend, I'll take them, but it's got to be a case of the right time and not go looking for it," said Alexander, 24, sounding more like a nervous batsman on the eve of an Ashes series.
"I'm going to worry about the more important things, the scrummaging, the defence and the aggression we're going to face early on."
If the Wallabies have done their homework on the French, clearly Lievremont has been doing some swotting of his own, revealing that he had stuck with Ouedrago in the backrow rather than bring in his more physical Montpellier team-mate Louis Picamoles because of his ability to "take the heat under the Australian up-and-unders".
France evidently has joined the list of teams preparing a counter to this new Deans tactic of putting up high kicks, not the attacking garryowen of old but towering punts launched from inside the danger zone as a means of putting the ball back in front of the forwards when there is not the option of kicking for touch.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Botham: England to beat Aussies 10-0
Venue: Trent Bridge, NottinghamDate: 10-14 JulyStart time: 11:00 BSTCoverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave and via the BBC iPlayer Radio app, BBC Sport website & BBC Sport app. Live text commentary on BBC Sport website, app & mobile devicesSir Ian Botham insists Darren Lehmann's appointment as Australia coach will not stop England recording back-to-back Ashes series whitewashes.
Lehmann, 43, replaced the sacked Mickey Arthur ahead of the first series, which starts at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.
England travel to Australia in October for the second five-Test series.
"I haven't seen anything to remotely make me feel as though I need to change my initial prediction of a double 5-0," said Botham in his Daily Mirror column.
10-14 July: 1st Test, Trent Bridge
18-22: 2nd Test, Lord's
1-5 August: 3rd Test, Old Trafford
9-13: 4th Test, Chester-le-Street
21-25: 5th Test, The Oval
"There is simply no department in which I think Australia have got an edge over England."England are aiming to retain the Ashes after winning the last series 3-1 down under in 2010-11 - their third victory in the past four series.
Australia, who are fourth in the Test rankings behind South Africa, India and England, sacked Arthur just 16 days before the start of the Ashes.
The South African, 45, received criticism following poor performances and disciplinary issues within the camp, before being replaced by ex-Yorkshire left-handed batsman Lehmann.
"Darren Lehmann is the best thing to have happened to Australian cricket recently," said former Test skipper Botham, 57, who helped England win the Ashes on four occasions.
"They have gone for a coach who understands the game deeply, but perhaps more importantly understands the cogs of Australian cricket inside out and the players will respond to him.
"But he cannot wave a magic wand and turn this Australian team into world beaters."
Andrew Flintoff begins his Ashes Roadshow in Nottingham on Monday. Flintoff and Mark Chapman are joined by special guests Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Chris Broad in front of a live audience from 1930-2100 BST. Coverage on Radio 5 live, Red Button and BBC Sport website.
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