ON THE RACK
Twickenham rout and coach Cheika under investigation means Aussies are...
AUSTRALIA have arrived in Scotland f or Saturday’s Test at Murrayfield still plagued by the after effects of the weekend humiliation to England.
If the 30-6 defeat at Twickenham was hard enough to stomach for the Aussies, then head coach Michael Cheika’s conduct during the match being referred f or i nvestigation by World Rugby would also have been difficult to digest.
The Wallabies boss was infuriated by a number of refereeing decisions and when a Michael Hooper try was disallowed in the first half, he appeared to mouth ‘f***ing genius’ in reference to the decision made by referee Ben O’Keeffe.
When asked during a broadcast interview if he had actually called O’Keeffe a ‘f***ing cheat’, Cheika ended the interview.
On two occasions, he walked down the steps from the coaches’ box to the touchline to talk with officials and received abuse from supporters that he described as a ‘gobful’ that was ‘not pleasant’ — at one point, resulting in a verbal exchange with a fan.
Jon Davis, the disciplinary officer for the autumn internationals, is looking into his behaviour.
‘Following various media reports and a referral from World Rugby, the comments and conduct attributed to Michael Cheika are being investigated. An update will be issued on Tuesday,’ read a statement issued by the body t hat oversees di s c i pl i nary matters for the November Tests.
The storm over their head coach is hardly ideal preparation as the Aussies look for r evenge on a buoyant Scotland after their defeat to Gregor Townsend’s men in the summer.
H o w e v e r, the Scots are warned to expect a team transformed from the l e g - wear y Wallabies beaten in Sydney. Cheika spent the buildup to June’s Test putting his players through heavy training sessions, specifically building up fitness with their current tour of the northern hemisphere in mind.
And Karmichael Hunt (below), on the losing side that day, believes they’ll reap the benefits at Murrayfield. Insisting that he wasn’t looking for excuses to explain away the 24- 19 win for the Scots, the talented back nevertheless said: ‘I feel we’re a much better team than we were in June. In the Scotland game i n June, there was definitely a lot more fatigue than normal. ‘But that was just the task that was given to us. The plan was load ahead. We weren’t going to be in tip-top shape, but we were good enough to compete. ‘ There are no excuses on our part. We felt we should have won the game, but didn’t turn up wi t h our bes t display. ‘It was as simple as that. It wasn’t down to fatigue or anything. I t was execution, at the end of the day. ‘The way the coaches are preparing us is one of the biggest differences compared to June. They’re really making sure that, come game day, we’re up and about. We’re not dragging our heels.
‘We’re adjusting our training load based on how we are feeling. The proof is in the pudding. Even though we didn’t get the result against England at the weekend, in the weeks prior to that, we’d been playing some of our best football of the year.
‘That would have to be the biggest difference. It’s probably more based around load.
‘Although we wanted to win each game in June, the load in those weeks was going to be higher than normal — because he (Cheika) wanted us to prepare for the end of the year.
‘He’s a master planner. He’s been in the business a while and knows how to get teams up and about when it’s most needed.’
Make no mistake, either, about their feelings when it comes to avenging Scotland’s summer win i n Sydney. Extenuating ci r cumstances or not, t he Wallabies were wounded by that loss — and want to put it right.
‘The Test match in June, when they beat us Down Under, is still in the back of our minds,’ said Hunt. ‘ So we know we’ve got a huge challenge on our hands.
‘We’re looking forward to facing them at Murrayfield, a new experience for myself and a few others. But we know it’s going to be hard. And we’ll be up for it.
‘It’s a pretty tough memory (the match in Sydney). They just played better than us.
‘We shot ourselves in the foot, got a yellow card, and they just ran over the top of us.’
Samu Kerevi i s one of the relatively new f aces i n the visitors’ squad — and admits he is still learning about how the game is played up here in the blustery northern hemisphere.
Kerevi goes way back with Edinburgh centre Junior Rasolea, having spent his formative years learning the game on the same patch of Brisbane grass.
‘We grew up together, Junior and a few others,’ he explained. ‘We were family friends, all played in the same age group and played a lot of Brisbane Fiji rugby.
‘I’ll be catching up with him this week, but he hasn’t given me any inside tips — except to tell me it’s going to be cold!
‘The teams up here are pretty physical, which I don’t mind. There’s a lot of kicking, a lot of chasing back to get in the line.
‘And the one thing for me so far was the atmosphere, in Wales and then in England. The noise they make, the songs and everything, is pretty amazing.
‘I had played at Twickenham before against Argentina, but to play England there was incredible. Another dream come true was to play in the Millennium Stadium.
‘I know the name has changed now, but I’ve been playing there in Rugby 08 (the video game) a lot, back when I was a kid!
‘ To actually play there was special. The atmosphere at Murrayfield looks amazing.
‘Scotland obviously have a lot of passion for the jersey. It’s exciting to be part of that.
‘Stuart Hogg had an exceptional game at the weekend and has been playing well. I saw the highlights at the weekend and he was carving up the ABs. So, he’s someone to look out for.
‘I actually know Ben Toolis, too. We played club footy together back in Brisbane, so it will be exciting to go up against him.
‘Scotland are up there. In June, they beat us at home — so they’re not a team to take lightly.’