The NSW Waratahs are expecting the Queensland Reds to target the Super Rugby champions up front in Saturday night’s interstate grudge match at Suncorp Stadium.
But with an added focus on the set piece this year as the World Cup looms, the Waratahs believe they’re ready to rise to the Reds’ challenge.
“I think they see their forwards as a strength for them – their scrum, their lineout, their maul,” said Waratahs No.8 Stephen Hoiles.
“I certainly think they’ll have a crack at us there and if we want to improve as a side that’s one area we’ve identified that we need to get better at.”
With one eye on the World Cup, Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika’s pre-season appointment of former Pumas hardman Mario Ledesma as NSW’s scrum consultant has wisened up the Super titleholders.
Hoiles, a 10-year veteran of Super Rugby, on Tuesday candidly admitted he’d never taken too much interest in scrums until this season.
“There’s always been a job for a back-rower to do, but they’ve put a lot more emphasis on what the back five (in the scrum) should be doing,” he said.
“I’ve packed into as many scrums as anyone and I don’t really know what’s going on, but this year we’ve done so much work in the off-season and I’ve actually quite enjoyed it.
“The whole side has taken a bit of a northern hemisphere approach; we’ve scrummaged more than we ever have.”
Just as drop goals become more fashionable in a World Cup year, Hoiles suspects the 2015 global showpiece is behind the increased focus on scrums.
And with this year’s World Cup being held in England, where the Wallabies scrum has suffered and been more scrutinised than anywhere else in recent times, the heat is on Australia’s forwards around the country to lift their game.
“I think this year with a World Cup is added motivation,” Hoiles said.
“There’s a big focus from the Australian public on the Australian set piece and I think the players are on board with that.”
Waratahs assistant coach Nathan Grey agreed the onus was well and truly on the NSW pack to front up on Saturday to ensure Reds halfback Will Genia and his outside backs weren’t afforded too much latitude.
“They’ve definitely got some key weapons in terms of their set piece,” Grey said.
“Will’s starting to find his mojo with his running game and that comes on the back of the platform provided by those forwards.”
The Waratahs are hopeful of having Wycliff Palu back on deck for the conference derby after the strike forward suffered a knee injury in the round-one loss to the Western Force.
