Rugby World Cup: Mario Ledesma helping turn Wallabies scrum from liability into major weapon
TO understand how the Wallabies scrum turned from derided to destroyer inside a year, you have to picture an Argentinian lying in the tunnel of a live scrum.
Rugby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TO understand how the Wallabies scrum turned from derided to destroyer inside a year, you have to picture a 42-year-old Argentinian lying on his back in the tunnel of a live scrum.
A live scrum with roughly 1500kg of forwards precariously balanced above him, straining to stay up.
That was just one of the unusual tactics Mario Ledesma employs in his role as Wallabies scrum coach, and on the evidence of Twickenham, it might now become standard around the world.
Maybe.
MATCH REPORT: Foley dumps England out of their own party
AS IT HAPPENED: Relive the action from Twickenham on our rolling blog
PLAYER RATINGS: who were the stand-out Wallabies?
CHASTENED ENGLAND: ‘we’re sorry we’ve let everyone down’
FOLEY SHOW: Wallabies record-breaker silences Quade fans
WALES FOCUS: Wallabies not slowing down after England win
But such has been the stunning restoration of the Wallabies scrum - turned from a laughing stock to a powerhouse inside a year - if a coach was ever going to win a man-of-the-match, Ledesma might have gone close in London.
The Wallabies not only held their own, they won six penalties at the scrum over England.
Just sit and ponder that for a moment.
Now ponder this on top of that: the man who blew those penalties was Roman Poite, who is considered the best ref on scrums in rugby and had long believed the Wallabies scrum to be weak.
The Frenchman was the official who blew Australia off the park at scrum-time in the Lions decider in Sydney in 2013.
It was just 309 days ago that the high-top boot was on the other foot at Twickenham, when England humbled Australia’s scrum on their way to a 27-14 win.
Cheika said post-match that something had to change.
“Because England have a good reputation, we have to improve ours if we are going to get the rub of the green on those interpretation calls,” Cheika said at the time.
“We need to change some things, technique and strategy.”
Then Australian captain Michael Hooper pulled out his crystal ball.
“We need to be well-improved there the next time we step on the field, this (Twickenham) field,” Hooper said.
“I’d like to have a scrum that’s dominant across the field, the scrum as a weapon the opposition are nervous of. We are far from it at the moment but we have a chance to develop that.”
Ledesma, who was scrum coach of the Waratahs under Cheika, was given the job as change agent.
With less than a year until the World Cup, and indeed when factoring in the Super Rugby season, only about 70 days of real preparation with the Wallabies, the former Pumas hooker got down to work.
Cheika started by changing some personnel, jettisoning veteran props Benn Robinson and Ben Alexander and drafting in Scott Sio, Greg Holmes and Toby Smith.
The Wallabies front rowers were introduced to the Ledesma style, which boiled down is directing all power through the hooker, with all eight men staying tight and pushing straight. And hard.
While dark arts aren’t entirely removed, props working angles on rivals went out given that weaken the collective power.
Then they got down to work. Hard work. Bloody hard work.
Where once Wallabies scrum practice was 15 minutes tagged on at the end of a training session, Ledesma introduced longer sessions that would run for 45 minutes.
Under new engagement laws, the hit-and-chase was replaced by a genuine pushing contest and for that you need fitness as well as strength.
So Ledesma’s training sessions meant scrums that lasted 30 seconds, sometimes more.
Sometimes there’d be two sessions a day. Sometimes he’d climb right under the two front rows, like a mechanic fixing a car.
The players were always good enough, Ledesma said two weeks ago in Bath. The thing that had to change was the mentality, and the perceptions.
The Wallabies forwards had to start believing they are good scrummagers and wanting to work hard and succeed. They had to love scrummaging like Argentinians love scrummaging.
And equally as importantly, everyone else had to start believing they are good scrummagers too: refs, in particular.
That shift has grown all winter and funnily enough it was Twickenham were it perhaps changed for good. Funny because Twickenham was the venue where near-enough a decade of bad reviews and poor results began with the Wallabies getting munched by the Poms in 2006.
But don’t expect to hear that sort of talk from Ledesma, Cheika or any front rower.
Central to the Ledesma way is never getting a big head or believing you’ve mastered the scrum.
You haven’t.
For magic Mario, the only scrum that counts is the next one.
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Mario Ledesma helping turn Wallabies scrum from liability into major weapon
Waratahs next gen playing for more than pride in U20 rugby trials
State pride, club pride and a big opportunity to impress selectors is on the line for the next generation of rugby players in a series of trial matches ahead of Australian U20 squad selection.
Stars, scorers in NSW Waratahs A team’s workout against Brumbies Runners
A road trip has freshened up some of the rising stars of rugby ahead of two crucial outings - the Waratahs second game of Super Rugby Pacific and Tahs U20 match trials. Stars and standouts