Sydney - Australia would be 'silly' not to target Argentina number eight Facundo Isa, if he plays in Saturday's Test according to Wallabies flank Dean Mumm.
Isa suffered a leg injury in the back end of Argentina’s
most recent defeat to the All Blacks, leaving him in doubt for this weekend’s
Twickenham clash, but if he plays, he will be the Wallabies will have to stop
as he has been in fine form this season.
The 23-year-old has been a revelation for the Pumas through
the Rugby Championship, leading the tournament in carries (85) and making the
second-most metres (361), behind All Blacks winger Julian Savea (378).
His attacking prowess is a symptom of the Pumas’ newly
free-flowing game, heavy on offloads and Isa’s ball-playing ability makes him a
major threat for the Wallabies.
Mumm said the emerging talent would certainly be in the
sights of the Wallabies at Twickenham.
"He's a terrific ball carrier in the way he gets
himself involved to carry, that’s certainly a key aspect of his game," he
told the Australian Rugby Union's website.
"It'd be silly not to have some sort of aim or target
on him."
Isa's individual weapons bring the rest of the Pumas out of
their shells, Mumm said, and shutting him down would be critical for Australia.
"He's by no means the only threat in this Argentinian
side - the way he carries and offloads, presents threats everywhere else as
well," added Mumm.
"The amount of numbers and consequently the amount of
metres he's had, he's a top quality ball player.
"If you want to stop momentum, then he's a key person."
Wallabies prop Tom Robertson said the scrum would be his key
focus against los Pumas but it wouldn’t be the only dangerous element in the
match.
"They've always been renowned for their scrum," he
said.
"They've developed more facets of their game nowadays but they're still a dominant force in that area so we'll definitely have to look after that."