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Big Ben vs the Beast:
Ben Alexander and Tendai Mtawarira lock horns
THE intimidating Springboks have vowed to unleash "The Beast'' on novice prop Ben Alexander, who knows he must repel this primal force of rugby or watch the Wallabies perish around him tonight.
Alexander is acutely aware that his daunting Tri-Nations head-to-head against Tendai Mtawarira is far more than a scrum stoush in the opening 20 minutes of a Test the Wallabies must win.
"It's up to me to nullify him early on because if he gets his tail up, it flows into the rest of his game and the way the Boks play,'' Alexander warned.
"That's where Beast gets his cult status from, getting on a roll with his runs into the defence and that physique.
"He's extremely strong and has dealt up the best front-rows.
"I'm ready and regardless of whether I am or not I've got to empty the tank and give this chance everything.
"We want this win.''
The impressive Alexander, just 10 Tests into his brief Wallaby career, won't be left wondering because South African forward Victor Matfield growled yesterday: "We'll be getting The Beast fired up to put him under pressure.''
In South Africa, 40,000 crowd voices have taken to booming out "Be-e-e-ast'' every time 112kg of broad-shouldered Zimbabwean muscle crashes ahead with the ball. Matfield would dearly love the pockets of Springbok fans at Subiaco Oval tonight to offer his men the same energy.
The duelling props both started their promising Test careers last year so the Beast's exponential progress is everything that Alexander should aspire to so this Wallaby pack can be transfused with the extra edge it needs.
Wallaby skipper George Smith is adamant Alexander has a repertoire to make life tough for the world champions as well tonight.
"Benny A has a fantastic range of skills,'' Smith said. "With his hands, his running and the way he finds the tryline, you'd think he was another back-rower.''
Just how a hastily revamped Wallaby lineout can protect its own ball against Matfield's mastery is the biggest question-mark on the Wallabies finally finding the killer to put away a top side when in a winning position with 20 to go.
Aggressive flanker Rocky Elsom is a positive factor in Australia's favour since the Wallabies lost nine lineouts in Cape Town three weeks ago, yet you must fear hiccups with a new caller, lock Mark Chisholm.
"The key thing for us is just having the confidence to back our options and showing the composure to put a stolen ball or crooked throw behind us when you step up for the next lineout,'' Elsom said.
"The Boks are the best in the world but I think we can go at them in this Test.''
Young fullback James O'Connor will relish his chance in front of his Western Force fans and the Wallabies would love to see the same splendid running spark he showed in Cape Town.
No one in the Australian side can field a kick and counter more instantaneously than O'Connor.
It is a rare skill he will have plenty of chances to show off because of the kick-obsessed Boks.
The Wallabies must keep on running off such triggers and know that flyhalf Matt Giteau is primed for a big one.
Adam Ashley-Cooper admitted he had undergone a refresher course in inside centre play this week so he could offer more than just crash-ball power in the new backline formation.
"I'm renowned for a bit of trucking [the ball up] so I've got to be an option to ball play as well,'' Ashley-Cooper said.
* WALLABIES assistant coach Jim Williams will follow Test colleague Richard Graham into the Super 14 arena in 2010.
On a day the Western Force announced Australian skills coach Graham will double as their backs coach next year, it emerged Williams is also set to assist the Queensland Reds.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225767204686
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Ben held his own tonight... Well done Ben...
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did more than hold his own..
any get why the ref kept pinging him when he was clearly the stronger one.. maybe because he was binding lower and therefore would go down easier if her slipped.. hmm i wasnt convinced
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The best performance by an Australian frontrow in recent times against arguably the best frontrow in the world on reputation.
Australia continualy popped Bismarck du Plessis both on attack and defensive ball and managed to dominate both props consistently. The call to take another scrum late in the second half warmed the heart and, of the starting players, #1-3 are probably the only ones to have been able hold their heads up in the change rooms after the match. All the rest were average to poor, some with rare periods of skill, but will comment on the team in another thread.
Alexander gave away a couple of fifty fifty penalties, a couple, not five or six.
I'm not sure if you would describe Beast as hot and cold or over rated, but while very good, he clearly isn't the world beater that SA would have you believe.
I live in hope that we never need to see Trestle wearing a single digit gold jersey ever again, well done Ben.
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Makes you think. If Al Baxter had given away as many penalties as Smit would he have seen Yellow?
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Not normally. Usually takes a couple more to put us out of our misery...
