WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 SPORTS Has the ‘scrum doctor’ cured Australia woes? CARDIFF: It’s a tag that’s been thrown at as a scrum consultant for the New South Australia’s rugby team for years. Silky Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. behind the scrum. Brittle in it. Nearly a year “He’s really passionate about scrums, into the tenure of coach Michael Cheika, and it’s good to have someone who has a the Wallabies are hoping those days are real identity of how he wants to shape the over heading into their first match of the scrum and how he wants the scrum to Rugby World Cup. move forward,” Hooper said. “He’s a great Cheika made improving Australia’s personality, a new face, a new accent in the scrummaging one of his priorities after group. He’s a great addition to the team.” replacing Ewen McKenzie in October. He England and Wales are expected to give saw the Australian eight get pushed Australia most problems in the scrum in around against England - yet again - in Pool A of the World Cup but the pack of the their November international last year, and Wallabies’ opening opponent, Fiji at the acknowledged his players’ technique and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff today, strategy needed to change. “Perhaps we shouldn’t be underestimated. are too honest,” he said. Fiji shoved back England’s vaunted To rectify the problem, Cheika changed scrum at one point in the tournament’s personnel. Benn Robinson and Ben opening game last Friday, and wheeled Alexander, Australia’s two most experi- another on England’s own feed five meters enced props, were ditched ahead of the from its tryline, leading to a try from Fiji World Cup, and younger players such as winger Nemani Nadolo. Scott Sio and Toby Smith were summoned. “They (Fiji) are very physical, and their And in what could prove to be a master- scrum was a bit of surprise for a few peo- stroke, Cheika also hired former Argentina ple,” said Australia attack coach Stephen hooker Mario Ledesma as a so-called Larkham, who was at Twickenham on “scrum doctor.” One of the grittiest interna- Friday. “That’s been building for a couple of tional front-rowers of the past couple of years.” Against Fiji, Australia’s front row will decades may just have found a cure. consist of Sio alongside hooker and captain Stephen Moore and Sekope Kepu. Having Building confidence the grunt of powerful second-rower Kane In its recent Rugby Championship-win- Douglas behind has also beefed up the ning campaign, Australia held its own in scrum, and he is also in the starting lineup. the scrum and even overpowered New Australia is one of the last teams to BRIGHTON: Japanese players celebrate after Karne Hesketh scored the winning try against South Africa during the Rugby World Cup Pool B Zealand’s in a 27-19 win in Sydney. But the begin its World Cup campaign, having match at the Brighton Community Stadium. — AP true test will come over the next six weeks been holed up in Bath in the south-west of in the northern hemisphere. “We’ve had a England while its rivals played their open- lot of tough games, scrummaging-wise, ing games at the weekend. Larkham said Much-changed Japan seeks going through the Rugby Championship that has been a “bonus.” “Getting over here, and the Bledisloe (Cup), so it’s been a great getting the jetlag out of our system and prep for us, and some of the hardest scrum feeling the conditions, albeit we are under sessions we’ve had against each other,” cover tomorrow,” said Larkham, speaking in shock No 2 at World Cup Australia flanker Michael Hooper said. the Millennium Stadium where he won the “We’re building a lot of confidence World Cup final with the Wallabies in 1999. there, and we got a lot of confidence out of “Training in Bath and sort of being away LONDON: Japan produced one of the biggest fall short. This year’s Six Nations was supposed to staged in Britain - in 1991 and 1999 - and is a the Rugby Championship, and as a pack from the spotlight a little bit has been real- upsets in sporting history by beating South be the tournament where the Scots would flour- genuine contender this time round after win- they’re really developing well.” Hooper said ly beneficial for us. We had a pretty good Africa at the Rugby World Cup. In its own way, ish after encouraging results in the November ning the Rugby Championship. It’ll be a family the influence of Ledesma - a veteran of 84 Rugby Championship and the guys have overcoming Scotland today would constitute tests. They finished in last place, on zero points, affair under the Millennium Stadium roof, with caps - has been huge since the Argentine made some improvements since then in just as stunning a result for the new darlings of and lost at home to Italy. It was expected to be a cousins Nemani Nadolo (Fiji) and Tevita Kuridrani came on board in July, having also worked these last couple of days.” — AP the tournament. A four-day turnaround is scant straight fight between Scotland, South Africa, (Australia) facing off. Nadolo is one of 11 players reward for delivering the most jaw-dropping and Samoa for the two qualifications places to be retained from the England game. Expect result of this or any Rugby World Cup, but is from Pool B. Japan has made it a four-team race. some poaching at the breakdown from Australia, something Tier Two teams - like Japan - have Here’s a look at today’s games which named two openside flankers in Michael become accustomed to. Hooper and David Pocock. Pocock is at No. 8. Rugby authorities have tried to make sched- SCOTLAND VS. JAPAN uling fairer for the so-called lesser nations com- (4-0 overall, 2-0 in RWC) FRANCE VS ROMANIA pared to previous tournaments. The top coun- The Japanese have never beaten Scotland. (39-2-8 overall, 2-0 in RWC) tries are still favored, though. And so, Japan However, they had never beaten the Springboks What happened to France and Romania? The must take on a second Tier One team in four before Saturday and look what happened then. oldest of friends haven’t seen each other in ages. days, forcing coach Eddie Jones into making To break another barren run, Japan will have to Their Pool D match will mark their 50th test, but eight changes to the starting lineup and testing be just as canny with their tactics. Against South first in nine years, the longest gap since World his squad depth. Scotland, playing its first match Africa, Japan had the ball in and out of the War II. France helped develop the game in of the tournament, will be both fresh and ready. scrum before its opponent’s stronger pack had Romania, starting with Romanian students “We’ve done a lot of work previewing Japan time to make their power show. Similarly, line- returning to Bucharest from universities in Paris and they look like they can switch it on. It is no outs were quickly taken. and introducing rugby at the turn of the 20th shock,” Scotland center Mark Bennett said. “They “South Africa got caught getting organized, century. looked very strong and took a lot of big hits when Japan were already in and gone,” Scotland Their first test was in 1924. They played from the South Africans, so there will be a few lock Adam Gilchrist noted. In theory, Scotland is almost annually from 1960-2000, and most sore bodies.” The wily Jones, possessing World opening up with its easiest two pool games - results were close. That was until the fall of com- Cup coaching experience with Australia in 2003 against Japan, then the United States. Easy, munism in 1989, when funding dried up and and South Africa in 2007, started the mind though, is not a word being used so often in this Romanian rugby withered. The tests no longer games with Scotland on Monday. World Cup. became contests: France scored 50-plus in seven “It’s interesting that before the tournament, of the last eight, including the last, 62-14 in PARIS: In this Nov 15, 2014, file photo, Australia’s Israel Folau, (center) is tackled by Scotland said we were going to tank the first AUSTRALIA VS FIJI Bucharest, where Thierry Dusautoir made a try- France’s Scott Spedding and Prop Alexandre Menini during their rugby union inter- game,” Jones said, mischievously. “So if we did (16-1-2 overall, 1-0 in RWC) scoring debut. France has two other survivors of national match at the Stade De France. — AP tank the first game, we’ve got a good perform- Like Japan, Fiji has a quick turnaround that game, Romania four. ance coming up in our second.” With the meticu- between games against top-tier teams. Five days Romania has not beaten France since 1990 lous Vern Cotter in charge of the Scots, there after giving England a decent examination on and, remarkably, no Tier One sides in the profes- Cane leads All Blacks for won’t be any danger of underestimating Japan the opening night of the tournament, the Fijians sional era. With its opening win over Italy, France like South Africa did. face another member of the world’s top three in has won three in a row for the first time since first time against Namibia Scotland is a frustrating team, always seem- Australia, which makes its debut.