Rupert Guinness | May 25, 2009


MATT DUNNING was surprised when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans telephoned him last week before his comeback in the Shute Shield for Eastwood after nearly six months out.

However, the Wallabies and Waratahs prop was not taken aback by Deans's message - that the 43-Test veteran had missed out on the 29-man squad for the domestic Test season.

"I was thankful to get the call. I didn't think he needed to call me. I hadn't played any footy," Dunning said yesterday, the morning after his first on-field spell since snapping his Achilles tendon playing for the Wallabies against the Barbarians in London last December.

Dunning realises a Wallaby recall is some time away, and that his 30 minutes in the back end of Eastwood's 42-10 win over Randwick at TG Millner Field was just the first step.

However, he still took the opportunity of Deans's time on the phone to offer his services to the coach should he need an extra scrummager in the Wallabies training camp.

"I said he if he needs anyone at training to pack the scrums, if I can help out give me a call and I will come," Dunning said.

It makes sense. It would allow Deans the chance to rotate and keep some of his four props fresher in Test weeks, and give Dunning much needed extra time scrummaging.

"With more scrums I can get my scrummaging back to where I want to," Dunning said.

The prop was satisfied with his performance at tight-head against Randwick, despite some inconsistency with his engagements towards the end of the game.

"I would have packed over 10 scrums," he said. "My scrummaging was good early. I probably made a few errors at scrum time after a bit of time, but I was a bit rusty.

"The fact I was good early was a good sign though. My Achilles was good. It was getting my engagement right. I just need more scrums. It is [a matter of] timing at the engagements."

Dunning also enjoyed one lung-bursting pursuit of Randwick tight-head Sekope Kepu down the touchline when the fellow Waratah and Wallaby had the ball in hand.

"That was a test. He's a lot faster than me but I just got him - ankle tapped him," he said.

In the coming weeks, Dunning, who is yet to re-sign with the Australian Rugby Union and NSW, hopes to increase his game time for the fourth-placed Woodies.
After the ninth round, the top six teams on the Shute Shield ladder are five points ahead of the rest of the competition.

In other games in a rain-sodden round at the weekend:
* Manly increased their lead in the competition with a 7-3 win over Gordon at Manly Oval. The Marlins have 39 points, although the Highlanders have moved to second place on the ladder with 30 points thanks to the bonus point earned for their narrow loss.
* West Harbour defeated Warringah 19-13 at Concord Oval to extend their undefeated run to five games - despite having their 12-0 half-time lead challenged by the Rats.
* Penrith finally claimed their first win of the year, beating Northern Surburbs 14-6 at Nepean Rugby Park. The game was moved from St Marys Leagues Stadium due to the weather.
* Southern Districts bagged their first back-to-back wins for the season with a 43-9 away victory over Parramatta at Granville Park after leading 10-9 at half-time.
* Sydney University rediscovered their winning touch with an important 28-8 win over Eastern Suburbs at University Oval, helped by Waratahs backs Daniel Halangahu and Tom Carter.


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