Argentina caused all sorts of problems for the All Blacks scrum last weekend. Source: David Rogers / Getty Images
STRENGTH between the ears - not in the backs, legs or shoulders - is the key to improving the flaky Wallabies scrum and holding an imposing Puma pack at bay on Sunday, according to prop Ben Alexander.
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The sight of the Argentinian eight smashing the All Black scrum last weekend sent dread into the hearts of Australian fans ahead of the Rosario clash, given the ongoing struggles of the gold scrum in 2013.
The Pumas gave the Wallabies trouble in Perth at the set-piece and based on their routing of the Kiwi scrum, will only be stronger on home turf, where scrummaging is considered the sexiest part of rugby.
It all spells trouble but Alexander says based on the lessons of their last Pumas clash and incremental improvements against the Springboks in Cape Town, the Wallabies know what they have to do to compete.
"They don't care if they lose the game as long as they have won at scrum time - it is a badge of honour for them," Alexander said.
"It is a pride thing for us too. We are not happy with the way our scrum has been going. We took some steps in the right direction at the weekend, but for us it is about consistency, and about putting the performance out instead of talking about it."
Alexander said the Wallabies had to be prepared to scrum for longer against an Argentinian pack whose advantage wasn't in size or technique, but attitude.
"It is just a mentality. They are not bigger or stronger. They want to scrum for longer. It is all mental," he said.
"They are all (at) the same height, if you watch them. They're not lower, they're not any bigger, any heavier. They just mentally want to scrum for longer. They're very patient, so it is about (us) being patient, wanting to scrum for longer. It's just a mental thing."
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Rugby is a game of mixed priorities, and different teams elect to try and press their advantage in different places; it can be up front or out wide.
Alexander pointed out New Zealand still won with a bonus point by being stronger elsewhere on the field, but Australia's problem recently is the scrum has become such a point of perceived weakness for rivals - and referees - even banking on parity at scrum-time is now not happening.
The scrum concedes points or pressure and yields so little stable possession, leaving the rest of the Australian game floundering.
"It's a tactical thing. They (Argentina) have identified that area as a strength of theirs and that's where they want to ram home that advantage. And so it's up to us to nullify that strength," Alexander said.
The Puma pack is a benchmark the Australian eight want to aspire to, he added.
"They're what we want to chase in scrummaging, they're very consistent which is something we've lacked," he said.
"We scrummed well against them in the first half in Perth but in the second half, that first 20 minutes after halftime, we took our foot off the pedal and they then started to dish us and got them right back in the game. Hopefully it's a lesson learned for the whole forward pack this Saturday."
The Wallaby scrum wasn't a basket case in Cape Town - neither side dominated - but it came under heavy fire from ex-Test coaches Nick Mallett and John Mitchell on the local broadcast for "illegally manipulating" the scrum outcome, and hindering the Boks' prospects, by shoving early and forcing the referee to blow penalties.
With the wooden spoon on the line and Argentina a top-tier, 15-point better side at home, Alexander said the Wallabies' task in Rosario this weekend had similarities to 2012; a tough victory he rates among his finest in a Wallaby jersey.
"No-one gave us a chance. We had played very poorly the week before in Pretoria, similar circumstances to this. There was a lot of pressure on Robbie, on all of us. For the lot of us, other than Sharpie, it was our first time playing in a Test match here," he said.
"It was a tough gritty win. They're the ones you remember, when people don't give you a chance. You really fight it out away from home and get the win."
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