Aussies play down Tri Nations biff talk
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 6:31 PM
Rival coaches Ricky Stuart and Brian McClennan did their best to play down talk that Saturday night's Tri-Nations final would deteriorate into a cheap shot free-for-all.
Looking to put a lid on the simmering tensions between the two forward packs, Stuart and McClennan said the team which put emotion to one side and just concentrated on playing football would walk away with the trophy.
"We want to have controlled emotions in the game, I think both teams are very determined to be disciplined," McClennan said as the captains and coaches from both sides gathered at Aussie Stadium.
"It's the team that's the most disciplined that will have a better chance of winning the game.
"We certainly will be keeping our emotions in check."
Speculation has been mounting throughout the tournament that Australian prop Willie Mason would go in search of revenge on David Kidwell after the Kiwi backrower knocked him senseless with a thundering shoulder charge in the series opener.
The two haven't crossed paths since the incident with Mason doing little to quell the anticipated fireworks earlier this week when he said he wouldn't be changing his aggressive approach, the same approach which saw him banned for one match for flooring Great Britain prop Stuart Fielden.
But Stuart said all his players, including Mason, would be instructed to keep their emotions in check.
"I've chatted to all the players - not just Willie - in reference to controlling our aggression," Stuart said.
"I don't condone it (foul play) and we don't want it in the game and it's not something that you actually go out and plan to do, it's just something that erupts."
"It shows how much is at stake, there's a lot of passion. There's a lot of pride in the result and sometimes emotions do overflow."
While echoing Stuart's sentiments, Kangaroos skipper Darren Lockyer said it was important the Australians didn't go too far the other way and go into their shell.
"You just want to be aggressive with your running, your defence - there's nothing illegal about that," Lockyer said.
"We all have aggression, there's no doubting that, but discipline is the key.
"We can't go out there and expect to give away cheap penalties, it puts you on the back foot and you're playing a final, you don't want to be giving away penalties for stupid reasons."
Lockyer warned the Kangaroos would have to improve on their 33-10 win over Great Britain to overcome a New Zealand side which has got better with each outing.
The manner in which the Kiwis disposed of the Lions in Wellington two weeks ago was reminiscent of the sort of form they displayed in running away with last year's Tri-Nations title, playmaker Stacey Jones rampant behind a dominant pack.
Lockyer admitted the Australians were lucky to get away with a win the last time the two sides met, tries to Greg Inglis and Mark Gasnier in the final five minutes at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne robbing the Kiwis of a deserved victory.
"We got out of jail, it was a small wake-up call but not a big enough one because the following week we played Great Britain and lost," Lockyer said.
"Last week was better but not a complete performance."
Both sides will continue their preparations with training sessions on Thursday, the Australian camp taking time out of their schedule to take in the first ball of the Ashes cricket series.
Source: AAP