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Locally, the question has to be asked, who is Mitch looking at at the Gold Coast??!! Surely the Master doesn't need to go there for a holiday?!
Attack the rock, Mitchell urges
From Jim Morton in Christchurch, New Zealand c/o Fox
July 6, 2006
FORMER New Zealand coach John Mitchell has urged Western Force pupil Tai McIsaac and his fellow Australia front-row rookies to attack All Blacks scrum anchor Carl Hayman.
Contrary to popular belief, Mitchell believes Hayman is not Mr Invincible at scrum time, saying he can be put off his game by hooker McIsaac and loose-head prop Greg Holmes.
Mitchell's surprising comments came as Australia coach John Connolly said the Wallabies scrum was taking a "dive into the unknown" against the All Blacks.
Despite major overhauls since the embarrassment of last spring's demolitions by England and Wales, the scrum is still seen as Australia's weak link.
Connolly admitted huge question marks hung over McIsaac, Holmes and tight head Guy Shepherdson, who collectively boast just seven Test starts going into their toughest test.
"Our young guys line up against a very experienced front row and it would be very important in terms of the outcome of the match I would suggest," Connolly said, highlighting that Hayman, Tony Woodcock and Keven Mealamu - with 78 caps between them - were all world XV candidates.
Mitchell, who coached the All Blacks at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, said England prop Andy Sheridan showed last year that old-school 120kg tight head Hayman could be pressured.
"That's the guy they have to apply pressure on All Black ball," Mitchell said from the Gold Coast.
"Tai will have to work pretty hard with Holmesy on Hayman, and even if you get him he'll still try to work Holmesy out.
"That's the area Australia have to really ask questions of them."
Holmes held Hayman well when Queensland toppled the Highlanders in the Super 14, a performance that has given Wallabies scrum guru Alex Evans heart.
Evans, the Reds forwards coach at the time, said the 23 year old was now stronger after shrugging off a shoulder injury, and he would have a bigger pack behind him.
"The Queensland pack was very small - 105kg on average in the back five - and (the Wallabies) back five is 115kg," he said.
"We'll be tested to the limit.
"We'll have our hands full but it will be a good measurement of where we're at."
McIsaac, 31, has read with interest comments from the New Zealand forwards that Australia was yet to be tested this season, and that they had improved only "a wee bit" in recording convincing wins over England and Ireland.
"For them to underestimate us is a great thing," he said.
"We don't have to hold back on anything and we can go out there and hopefully surprise them on what we've been working on.
"Our goal is to be in the next year one of the best packs in world rugby, and I suppose each week we've been building gradually.
"This will be another test for us this week, not only in being competitive but really asserting ourselves as a world-class pack."
Mitchell, who has described McIsaac's lineout throwing as "awesome", has been sending good-natured text messages to the hooker, imploring him to "get stuck into Graham Henry's mob".
The Force coach rated McIsaac, Queensland's third-string hooker in 2005, among the mentally strongest players he had coached, saying he was not at all surprised by the rake's amazing elevation.
Labelling his initial Tests as "standard setters", McIsaac admitted the Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday would provide his first major test.
Connolly indicated his lineout had the edge over the Kiwis, but he said it was difficult to back an upset.
"Where they're at with the experience they have in their side and the surety of their play, it will be a big ask for us and we're aware of that," he said.
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