RUGBY/World Cup/England v Australia: One of Australia's most experienced coaches believes England will be "smashed" by 30 points in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final. The evidence of the 36-0 pool defeat by South Africa has convinced Alec Evans, the former Wales coach now employed as a Wallaby skills guru, that England are one-dimensional has-beens. But Brian Ashton could not be accused of naming a bunch of lightweights in his starting XV yesterday.
This World Cup has been characterised by the number of leviathans roaming the pitches of France, and England are maintaining the trend. No fewer than six of the pack are heavier than their opposite numbers, and throttling Australia at source appears to be the aim. If there are limitations on the amount of subtlety and pace available to Ashton, there is no obvious shortage of brute force.
Several of his big men have also enjoyed the benefit of a week's rest and Phil Vickery, Mark Regan and the 6ft 8in Simon Shaw have now been recalled as England seek to confound bookmakers and pundits alike. Jason Robinson also returns at full-back after the hamstring injury which threatened to bring his outstanding career to a premature end. Another former Wigan legend, Andy Farrell, has been entrusted with the pivotal inside-centre role outside Jonny Wilkinson.
There is no great mystery about Farrell's selection this time, Ashton having specifically picked him to give England more gain-line presence after Olly Barkley's less than successful outing against Tonga. "For this game we need the direct approach that Andy Farrell brings," explained the head coach, claiming the former Man of Steel has looked "sharper and sharper" as the tournament has gone on.
Farrell is never going to beat the twinkle-toed Matt Giteau for pace over 20 metres but he boasts a wealth of big-match experience surpassed only by Robinson and the Wallaby captain George Gregan.
Unfortunately, England have ploughed a similarly narrow furrow before in this tournament and ended up being cruelly bypassed. Against the Springboks they scrummaged well but Farrell proved about as influential as a lighthouse in the Cotswolds as South Africa emphatically won the territorial kicking contest. Ashton can only hope the improvement visible against Tonga is maintained and that Farrell's second-half try, his first for England, is not his last as a union Test player.
"The hardest thing for him at the moment is taking all the knives out of his back," muttered Robinson, unimpressed at the amount of flak his old Wigan pal has taken since switching codes.
Ashton confessed to fearing he had lost Robinson's services for good when the full-back pulled a hamstring against South Africa. It turned out to be less serious than initially feared. "Robinson's performance against South Africa was one of the top individual performances of the tournament so far," said the coach. The changes we've made are for the right reasons," Ashton added. "I'm perfectly happy we've got the right players."
Matt Stevens may disagree, having had to make way for Vickery's return and joined his Bath colleague Barkley as a selectorial victim. With Shaw pushing behind Vickery, however, there will be considerable pressure on the Wallaby loosehead Matt Dunning, the only frontrow survivor from the Twickenham wreckage in 2005 when Andrew Sheridan and co made mincemeat of the Australia scrum.
Significantly, England retain four forwards from that day including Lewis Moody, who will win his 50th cap. "It's nice to have a mad dog in your side," said Ashton, stressing he meant it as a compliment. The slightly barking blond-haired retriever from Leicester did not appear to mind. "It doesn't matter how many caps I've won, all I'm concerned about it is winning the game this weekend."
According to the set-piece specialist Evans, though, it is the Wallabies who will emerge on top.
"If they play rugby they will beat them by 30 points," predicted the 69-year-old Evans, speaking from Brisbane after a lung infection prevented him from travelling to France. "The England backs are poor in defence and the Australian forwards will take them apart. And if we run their forwards around we'll smash them."
The Wallaby pack may not thank him for his diplomacy skills.
Australia's mounting injury toll shows no sign of easing with utility back Scott Staniforth the latest player to be ruled out. Staniforth was expected to be named on the Australian reserves bench because of his ability to cover wing and inside centre, but has been crossed off because of a shoulder injury.
