Franks packs down for more scrum talk
If it’s Argentina, then it must be time for Owen Franks to talk about scrums.
The All Blacks tighthead prop is famed for his scrummaging prowess, as were the Pumas once upon a time. They’ve been erratic, at best, in more recent seasons, although that doesn’t tend to stop people asking Franks how much he fears them.
He copped the same line of questioning in Nelson two weeks ago, with the difference this time around being that the query came from the Argentine press.
‘‘Like I said last time, I’ll never disrespect it because there’s times when they’ve looked not so dominant and then the next game they can be worldbeaters. That happened to me so I’ll always treat them with the same amount of respect,’’ Franks said in Buenos Aires.
‘‘As far as I’m concerned, going into this week, they’ve got the best scrum in the world because that’s the ability they have to turn it on.’’
Concentration, as much as technique and the cohesion of the eight, is among the keys to scrummaging and you’ll be embarrassed the moment you switch off.
But the high esteem Franks holds the Argentine scrum in has been not shared by Pumas coach Mario Ledesma lately. In his playing day, at the heart of the front row, Argentina’s scrum was a weapon but, as he said before and after the team’s 46-24 loss to New Zealand at Trafalgar Park earlier this month, it isn’t right now.
Ledesma told reporters ‘‘you build a house from the foundations up’’ which was proving difficult with the Pumas.
‘‘We haven’t had a strong scrum for a couple of years,’’ Ledesma said.
This was graphically illustrated the next night, when Franks and company held sway in the set piece. Loosehead prop Karl Tu’inukuafa, in particular, had a field day.
‘‘We got torn apart so we need to get better there,’’ a disappointed Ledesma said afterwards.
‘‘It’s been the same for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, other teams go hard at us there because they consider we’re really strong.’’