O'Neill promises to buy a scrum - Rugby - Fox Sports

O'Neill promises to buy a scrum - Rugby - Fox Sports

"Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill declared it was time to reward the heavy lifters in the front row.

The most glaring deficiency in the Australian team exposed by last weekend's quarter-final loss to England was the lack of quality props. It is probably no overstatement to suggest that had England loosehead Andy Sheridan been wearing a gold jersey instead of white, the Wallabies would have won pulling away.

But, as former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones observed this week, Sheridan is a product of a British system that prizes, and judges, props almost exclusively on their scrummaging ability. That is unlike Australia, where any likely-looking front-rowers are judged primarily on their footballing ability, with scrummaging a secondary consideration.

The failed cup campaign has left Australia with no option but to mimic the British model and that means providing meaningful incentives for front-rowers to become world-class scrummagers."

Wondered whether there'd be a reaction...There had to be really. The Wallabies couldn't take the defeat lightly. Basically Australia were bullied by bigger boys....and those bigger boys were English. We were physically stronger and tougher than them, there is no way the Australian public will stand for that.