England ready for streetwise Australians’ box of tricks
England boast a hefty power advantage in the pack - their front row alone weighs in at more than 55 stone - and Wallabies coach Eddie Jones fears the home side’s lineout as the best in Europe.
But Robinson knows only too well that Jones is a canny operator and expects Australia to employ every trick in the book in a bid to off-set England’s brute force.
Their spoiling tactics famously paid dividends in the 2003 World Cup final when the Wallabies won a string of penalties - which Elton Flatley kicked to take the game into extra-time - despite England’s obvious advantage up front.
So Robinson, determined this high-pressure encounter does not degenerate into a “free-kick fest”, took Keith-Roach with him into yesterday’s meeting.
“You have got to understand some of the tricks that can be played in the game and the referee has to understand those,” Robinson said at Twickenham.
“I think we would be doing Australia a disservice to say they can’t scrummage because they stood up against the French early on. They are very streetwise.
“We will have a conversation with Joel, as I will always do with any referee, and it’s going to be about the laws of the game and how he is going to interpret those laws.
“Phil Keith-Roach is coming along with me to make sure we know what will be going on at the scrum.
“I will discuss with him all the issues to make sure we are on the same page. We don’t want to give penalties away. We want to be able to play and work with the referee.”
Jones reinforced his belief that meetings with referees are unnecessary because there is “one set of laws that are clear to everyone.”
Robinson highlighted the importance of the tight five battle today against an inexperienced but adventurous Wallabies side.
“We need to dominate their front five,” said Robinson. “Pressuring the Australians at the set piece will be a key part for us. It is always an important battleground because their back row survive very well, they are very streetwise and when they don’t have a lot of ball to play with they really do scavenge for possession. And when they do have possession they play very quickly.
“We have a good lineout and it is one of the platforms we want to establish in the game. It is the same in the scrum and the forwards have a big responsibility to dominate at the set piece.”
England prop Phil Vickery is certainly expecting a tough afternoon against a Wallaby pack battle-hardened by last week’s defeat to France.
“That gives them an advantage,” he said. “You have got to be careful about writing people off, you just add fuel for their fire. The Australians are a proud bunch and I think they have got the fire-power to cause some trouble.”
Australia are looking to break a six-game losing streak and Jones is confident they have the armoury to hit England hard, even if they are reduced to minimal possession.
In June 2004, the Wallabies racked up a 51-15 victory over England in Brisbane with just 43% of the ball.
Former rugby league ace Mat Rogers has been switched to fly-half while Mark Gerrard and Drew Mitchell come onto the wings.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
