The Wallabies will play a more forward-orientated game under new coach John Connolly, team vice-captain Nathan Sharpe said on Wednesday.
Connolly has shown his intentions to restore order at the set pieces by appointing noted ”scrum doctor” Alec Evans as an assistant to forwards coach Michael Foley.
Connolly went straight to work on the Australian line-out on Wednesday in his first session since replacing Eddie Jones and has already omitted 46-Test veteran Bill Young from the Wallabies training squad in favour of fellow ACT Brumbies prop Guy Shepherdson.
Sharpe said the shift towards a more forward-driven game had already begun.
”Obviously John Connolly and Michael Foley and all the [coaching staff] have all come from the northern hemisphere, so there’s very different styles of play there and I’m sure that will be translated into the Wallabies’ game plan,” Sharpe told reporters on Wednesday.
”One highlighted area is that [our forward play] needs to be a bit more of a pack mentality rather than an individual focus … the northern hemisphere style of rugby has a very big pack mentality and I think that’s something that will develop in the Wallaby camp with whoever is selected in the squad.”
Australia’s front row was badly exposed by the English scrum at Twickenham last November as not up to international standard, but Sharpe was confident the combination of off-season soul searching and Connolly’s appointment would ensure the Wallabies arrive in France for next year’s World Cup with renewed respect.
”I think every guy that was involved in that [Twickenham] went back to the home states and you saw the forward play in Australian rugby during the Super 14 season really improve, and I’m sure it’s something that continues here in the Wallaby camp.
”Again, that northern hemisphere forward-oriented type of game will probably translate into John’s coaching.”
Connolly said Evans would be a vital addition to his back-room staff, particularly given the increased size of the squads he intends to select.
”We’ve got a large squad of forwards here, about 24 forwards,” Connolly said.
”We’ll go into camp with about 17 or 18, we’ve got a tour [of Europe] at the end of the year where we could take 40 to 45 players away with the A and B games. So it will be a large squad, so he’s [Evans] helping Michael.”
Australia open their international season against England in Sydney on June 11. — AFP
