'We've got that up our sleeve' - the Wallabies' tactic that could be used on Wales
It has been derided as anti-rugby and the sport's most inglorious attacking ploy but the Wallabies are all on board with the rolling maul at the Rugby World Cup.
As Fiji found out last week, the Australians can roll with the best of them when it comes to lineout drives from close range, setting up two near-identical tries for hooker Tolu Latu in the 39-21 win in Sapporo.
Wales may be next in line for the tactic in Sunday's vital pool game at Tokyo Stadium, although Brumbies tight forwards Scott Sio and Rory Arnold were reluctant to release their battle plans.
"It's something that we've just been building over time but there's no guarantee we'll use it in the next game," Sio told AAP.
"They can plan for it but it's not always something we go to. It was great to put it all together (against Fiji) and you saw what we can do when we stick to our guns and execute it."
The Brumbies have turned the rolling maul into an art form in recent years, rewarding Fol au Faingaa with most of his 12 Super Rugby tries this season - a Super Rugby record for a hooker.
Latu said Faingaa, his second cousin, joked with him that he was "stealing all his tries" following the Fiji match.
Surprisingly it was was the two smallest Wallabies forwards - flankers David Pocock and Michael Hooper - who provided the primary leg drive in both of Latu's tries.
Arnold said the beauty of a lineout maul was that if it didn't rumble over the tryline, it often sucked in enough defenders to create opportunities elsewhere.
"We've got that up our sleeve this week and obviously when you have that, it opens up different areas of the field as well," he said.
"If you've got a good maul then teams are looking at it and that opens up space around the back."
- AAP
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You’d think the first step would be taking responsibility for the stupid sh*t you did and to stop blaming other people. Does he seriously think that people believe him when he says it just magically got into his system without him knowing anything about it? You’re gonna notice if you’re on the juice, bruh.
Go to commentsI watch the Reds now, and many of their players, and think back to watching London Irish in their last two years under Michael Kiss. I recall Nick Phipps looking a very competent scrumhalf, Rob Simmons a lynch pin in the lineouts. Both men writen off by many on the rugby sites. There is no question in my mind that Kiss has a very different touch to any coach the Reds have had in years. It will take time, but this team could develop into a very good team, hard to beat by any one down here in the SH. You highlight two players especially, Nick. Vunivalu and Paisami are thriving this year, especially the latter. And so many others. The now heavier Fraser McReight, his great mate Harry Wilson, and the “Fardy” man, Liam Wright. That is only three, ut in reality every player is acroos the whole squad is the better for the new regime.
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