Sharpe shooting from the lip as Australia halt verbal sparring

Doug Booth

In the absence of Wallabies skipper George Gregan, who was at a family funeral, Sharpe put his ambassadorial hat on to promote tonight’s game at Telstra Stadium between Australia and South Africa for the Mandela Cup.

Criticism of the way Wallaby prop forward Bill Young scrummages and Australia’s half-backs was forgotten as Sharpe heaped glowing praise on South Africa’s powerhouse lock forward Victor Matfield as well as talking up the Test, the first of four between the two southern hemisphere giants this winter.

“It’s always a huge challenge playing against him (Matfield),” Sharpe said.

“He’s one of the best locks in the world.

“I like to challenge myself against the world’s best and this is something I have been looking forward to.

“Victor is not just athletic but he is also proficient with his use of the ball. He’s also technically sound at the line-outs.

“The Springboks have selected a very big forward pack. You expect that against South Africa sides,” he added.