'We're not here to be even with England, we're here to dominate them'
Fresh-faced Wallabies prop Angus Bell has raised the bar for the second test against England, declaring only a domination of the visitors' set piece will do.
The 21-year-old started in the 30-28 win in Perth, where Australia played for more than a half with 14 men after Darcy Swain's red card for head-butting.
Quade Cooper (calf), Tom Banks (arm) and Allan Alaalatoa (concussion) were also injured before and during the game, while fellow prop Taniela Tupou is a good chance of returning on Saturday at Suncorp Stadium.
Winning without them thanks to a three-try second half went against the script after eight consecutive losses to Eddie Jones' side.
Bell couldn't care less about that outside noise though, adamant they can improve again in Brisbane.
"Really don't really think about it," he said of those who had written off his side, and particularly the forward pack, pre-match.
"For me it's about execution and I was pretty unhappy with our set piece. It could be better.
"We're not here to be even with England, we're here to dominate them.
"We didn't quite get that in the right area, the red card didn't help but we'll bring another step up in our set piece (in Brisbane)."
Tupou's first child arrived ahead of schedule last week and coach Dave Rennie is confident the Queensland Red will recover from a calf injury to restock a depleted tighthead cupboard.
Bell can't wait to see him in action.
"We all know Taniela's a beast; one of the world's best and in every single facet of the game Taniela has a massive impact," he said.
"If he does get picked he'll do a job."
Meanwhile inside centre Samu Kerevi was on Tuesday named in Australia's rugby sevens squad for this month's Commonwealth Games.
Man of the match in Perth, he said he still had improvement in his kicking and passing game to match the powerful running game he unleashed in the second half in Perth.
"Was kind of seamless to be back in with the boys," the Japan-based centre said.
He said preparation for the game helped them put out the fires calmly when injuries and red cards struck.
"We tried a lot of different combinations and the staff kept us on our toes (in the lead-up)," he said.
"It was nothing special (for Noah Lolesio to shift from the bench to No.10); he knew exactly what he needed to do and it was another seamless transition."
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Can we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
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