Baxter: We'll do it for brave ben

Prop Al Baxter and his front-row colleagues have vowed to win the World Cup on Saturday for their injured Wallaby team-mate Ben Darwin, whose rugby career hangs in the balance after he suffered a neck injury in Australia’s semi-final victory over New Zealand.

Darwin heard his neck crack in a scrum and was saved by the quick thinking of Kees Meeuws, who responded to his opponent’s terrified calls of “neck, neck, neck” and immediately stopped pushing.

The Australian tight-head prop had no feeling from the neck down for two agonising minutes and after he was stretchered from the field, medics diagnosed a prolapsed disc had touched the spinal cord.

He will be able to walk out of hospital and would love nothing more than to be at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night to watch the Wallabies’ tilt for glory.

It is bitter-sweet for Baxter, who was today confirmed in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up to mark an extraordinary year, and he vowed to win ’Bill’ – what the Wallabies affectionately call the Webb Ellis trophy – for Darwin.

“You never want to get a position through someone else’s misfortune,” said Baxter, whose international break came in the final Tri-Nations game against New Zealand when Patricio Noriega pulled out injured.

“I had a chat with Ben. We have to focus on the game now. We don’t want to let Ben down. He put lot of hard work and did a lot for the team.

“He led from the front. I don’t want to let him down by not doing the same.”

Darwin’s injury and Baxter’s promotion into the starting XV opened the door for the inexperienced Matt Dunning to come onto the bench, from where he will win only his second Test cap.

“All the front-rowers went to see Ben in hospital on Sunday after the game,” he said today.

“It is great he will be able to walk out of hospital. We all feel for him and he is as big a part of this team as anyone. It will be good to see him at the game on Saturday.

Hooker Brendan Cannon, who cheated death 10 years ago when he was involved in a horror road smash which left him requiring 50 stitches to a slash to the head, also spoke of how the side drew inspiration from near tragedy.

“In our preparation this week, there’s been that little bit of Benny in all of us – thinking of him and how he should be here,” he told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

“Unfortunately that hasn’t been possible. It’s a little extra incentive.”

For Baxter, the chance to play in a World Cup final would not have entered his thoughts until last weekend’s stunning victory over New Zealand.

A trained architect, Baxter scaled back his professional work to concentrate on rugby this year with the immediate goals of starting a few Super 12 games and maybe making the Australia A tour.

It reaped immediate dividends as his athletic, agile style impressed state and national selectors alike.

When Baxter was selected for that tour to Japan in May, he expected little more to follow and even bought himself some World Cup tickets to cheer Australia on from the stands.

“It has been amazing. It was a year I was hoping to make a couple of Super 12 games and suddenly I am in the starting line-up against England in the final,” he said.

“It’s been a big jump from where I was 12 months ago. I had a lot of help along the way.

“It’s the pinnacle of world rugby, the top spot you can get and if we do win it will be absolutely amazing.

“It will be like an Olympic gold medal, absolutely amazing.”

Baxter is confident that the Wallabies pack, although inexperienced when compared to England’s battle-hardened bunch, have been helped by a tough draw which pitched them against Argentina, Ireland and New Zealand en route to the final.

“I think we have done well with the draw. Argentina and Ireland have competitive packs. We haven’t had an easy run through and have been up against good packs all the way through.

“England’s focus is set-pieces so that will have to be our focus this weekend.

“It’s going to be Australia’s toughest match of the year. We expect a lot of heat in the set-pieces and they have got good ball players like Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson.”