Scotty Johnson, the master mindgames man!

Welsh insult spurs Wallabies

By Peter Jenkins in Cardiff
September 15, 2007

AUSTRALIA has discovered how cocky Wales wrote them off two years ago as the easybeats of the southern hemisphere.

The insult, while never made public, has further stirred the Australian camp ahead of the crucial World Cup Pool B clash at Millennium Stadium tonight (11pm AEST).

Players received the inside knowledge from assistant coach Scott Johnson this week. He was on the Welsh staff, part of the inner sanctum, when the World Cup schedule was released in 2005.

Welsh players were air-punching at the prospect of hosting the Wallabies in Cardiff. "They were excited," Johnson said.

"They were happy as it was that out of the three southern hemisphere teams they had Australia in their World Cup group.

"The Wallabies at the time were not enjoying one of their most successful periods and Wales thought, at home, it was going to be a really good chance to get them."

Johnson would have realised the emotions his tale would target. He denied, however, tearing a page from Psychology 101.

"You just have to tell the truth occasionally," he said. "But what is important is that we're a different team to what Australia was then."

Centre Matt Giteau said the insight from Johnson had been a further spur in a week when motivational triggers have not been hard to find.

The Wallabies are angry over having to travel to the UK to play Wales in their own backyard when France hold hosting rights.

Australian claims that the draw has given Wales an unfair advantage have led to headlines across the principality slamming the Wallabies as "whingers".

There is also the small matter of a defeat and a draw in their past two visits to Cardiff. Flanker Rocky Elsom is talking revenge and embarrassing the Welsh in front of their faithful. Now Johnson has further stoked the fires.

"Scotty reckons when the draw came out the Welsh were all pretty happy," Giteau said. "The boys are excited about playing this week. Let's hope the Welsh are not so happy with things after the game."

Wales will target the Australian scrum - where they had so much success in 2005 - while the Wallabies, at least early in the piece, will try to expose the kicking deficiencies the Welsh have in a back three of Gareth Thomas, Mark Jones and Shane Williams.

Expect the Wallabies to open with a long-kicking strategy and offer Wales two options. The first is to run the ball back from deep inside their own territory. The second is to hoof the ball out, risk making minimal territory and concede lineouts in prime attacking positions.

If Wales take the first route, the Wallabies are ready to respond with a defensive pattern aimed at putting the blowtorch to ball carriers.

"Definitely with these blokes if you show them a hole they'll take it," assistant coach John Muggleton said. "That's been the emphasis for this week.

"Give them nothing. Show them no space. If we get two blokes in there quickly, with the second man hard on the ball to contest possession, we can turn their strength into a weakness."