Brown: We must curb disciplinary problems

NEW Australia number eight Richard Brown insists the coaching staff have hammered home the message that another ill-disciplined Tri-Nations display against New Zealand on Saturday night will not be tolerated.

Brown, one of three Wallabies players sin-binned in the recent loss to South Africa in Cape Town, has been appointed to a special task force in a desperate bid to solve the Australia’s crippling discipline problem.

“They (the coaches) got a bunch of us to address the team to put a few pointers up for what we could do to solve that discipline area,” Brown revealed.

“We defend very well as a team but it’s just at that defensive ruck area that we’re giving away those penalties. So we’ve come up with a few ideas and we’re going to have more of a focus to try and erase those penalties.”

Meanwhile, Luke McAlister has been named to start at inside centre for New Zealand, despite being forced out of training with back spasms on Tuesday. The 25-year-old midfielder took a full part in a skills session in Sydney yesterday and is set to play.