Rugby
Wallabies a 'dangerous animal'
2012-10-19 09:18
Brisbane - Coach Steve Hansen is dismissing suggestions that the wounded Wallabies
will take another savaging from the All Blacks in their third Bledisloe
Cup Test at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
According to
allblacks.com website, after their emphatic wins in Sydney and in Wellington where they kept
Australia pointless, the All Blacks are warm favourites to extend their
unbeaten Test record to 17, just one behind Lithuania's international
record of 18.
Any doubts that Hansen may miss the Test after the
death of his father, Des, on Tuesday were quashed at a media conference
in Christchurch on Thursday afternoon just hours before the All Blacks
left for Brisbane.
"You'd be lying if you didn't say it has been a
really tough week, but we're a tight family and the rugby family has
been great. The distraction of going to training Monday, Tuesday and
today has been awesome.
"I know [Des] would kick my backside if I
didn't do the job right. I was always going to Brisbane – he would roll
over and shoot me if I didn't."
Hansen said the Test was not a dead rubber despite the silverware being locked away for another year.
"It
is a Test match against Australia and, along with South Africa, they
rank as our main rival and there's a heck of a lot on it because of
that.
"We've managed to beat them twice but last time we played them at Suncorp they beat us.
They've got a record of 17 from 20 at Suncorp so that makes them a dangerous animal.
"They've been doing a lot of talking about what they are and what they are not going to do which I find interesting."
Hansen said he respected the Wallabies immensely.
"We
know they have had hardships and had quite a few injuries, but they
have got one or two back and they've got probably the biggest forward
pack they've ever put on the park starting on Saturday.
"So we
know it will be physical and we know they'll be in the game for long
periods. We have to manage that and make sure when we get opportunities
we take them."
Hansen said little consideration was given to
making wholesale changes even with the Investec Rugby Championship and
Bledisloe Cup series both won.
The two changes from the starting
team which beat South Africa, 32-16, in Soweto a fortnight ago are in
the front row with Keven Mealamu and Charlie Faumuina coming in for
Andrew Hore and Owen Franks, respectively.
"We've got the team
ticking along nicely and clearly we were always going to make a change
at hooker [for Mealamu's 100th Test]. Charlie has gone well off the
bench and we wanted to see him start."