WE NEED MONGREL
Ex-rugby star’s spray to revive Wallabies’ former glory
MAT Rogers says the Wallabies need to find old-fashioned intimidation if they are to return to the sport’s glory days. “We have great players but also need some players who scare the (expletive) out of people. Nice guys don’t win at rugby,” the 45-Test veteran said.
EX-WALLABY Mat Rogers is giving the national side a rev up ahead of this weekend’s Gold Coast Test, urging them to rediscover some “mongrel” to keep winning.
The side is desperate to back up its nailbiting 23-18 victory over the Springboks in Brisbane last week with a win over Argentina at Robina’s Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.
Rogers, a Gold Coast-based league and rugby union international who played 45 Wallaby Tests, said that in recent seasons the team missed players who “scare the s..t out of people”.
He cited former Wallaby hard men Owen Finegan and Justin Harrison – teammates from his Test and Super Rugby days – who had the intimidation factor needed to win at the top level.
“It’s been a while since we had some guys like that. In the loveliest way possible, they were grubs. They would do anything to win,” Rogers said.
“You need someone who strikes the fear of God into people. Players with mongrel. We have great players but also need some players who scare the s..t out of people.”
Ex-Wallaby No.8 Toutai Kefu was another player who “would just cut you up”.
“I used to hate playing the Brumbies because of Owen and Justin. Nice guys don’t win at rugby,” Rogers said.
“Owen and Justin were great blokes but on a football field they will just tear it up, do what it takes and we have missed that the past few years.”
His comments aren’t falling on deaf ears. The Wallabies are reaching out to Rogers for part of their build-up this week – and he told the Bulletin he’d be keen to give players a pep talk and advice.
Rogers said the side had players with the ability to intimidate other top teams, saying prop Taniela Tupou – dubbed the Tongan Thor – excited him.
“I’m looking at him to start dominating in the middle,” he said, adding that Tupou wasn’t just a fearsome physical specimen. “He can back it up too. He showed on the weekend, it’s not just a look – he can deliver.”
Tupou was crucial at the death against the Springboks last week at Suncorp Stadium when the Wallabies faced a defensive scrum on their line.
Rogers said the win over the Springboks was crucial after two losses to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship.
“We definitely needed that victory and who knows what it is going to bring this weekend.
“Moral victories mean nothing in professional sport.”
Rogers said the Wallabies could return to former glories: “As much as that win last weekend was good, I really hope it lights that fire inside this team. We’ve been world champs and we can be again.”
Asked about the side’s “intimidation factor”, Wallabies assistant coach Stephen Larkham said: “That is an aspect of Test rugby we have got to be good at. We are inconsistent across the board with everything we have been doing.
“Last week was a really good week for us, a unifying win and we have been a lot more consistent with our preparation.
“I think that transferred into the game.
“But we are still searching for that consistency in everything we do and intimidation is certainly part of the game at the top level.”