Ben Alexander (R) has been spared by the British media in the lead-up to the Test. Source: Getty Images
COULD it really be? In the lead-up to an England-Australia clash at Twickenham and the Wallabies scrum isn't being hammered from pillar to post by the local media.
Is the English press going soft?
An all-out attack on the Wallaby scrum by the London scribes at this time of year is usually about as bankable as the onset of the cruel English winter.
But unlike the savage storm which thundered across the country this week, the easy target that is the Australia set-piece has, in some circles, even drawn praise.
That might have to do with England's lack of familiarity as a pack and the new scrum laws. Still, the Wallabies can take heart from the suggestion that their eight-man shove is no longer "comically vulnerable".
"First the scrum, an area where Australia, at times have been almost comically vulnerable," The Guardian's Dean Ryan wrote.
"On the evidence of recent games this front row look of sterner stuff.
"Against New Zealand a fortnight ago they had as many moments as wobbles and James Horwill, captain until Thursday, had a point when he said that the Wallaby pack had the knowledge of eight games under the new rules, whereas England were scrummaging together for the first time.
"This matters because the role of the loosehead prop is becoming more influential with the flip side being that a tighthead's job has become more difficult and there is some evidence that Dan Cole is less comfortable than when the "hit" was the big factor." Brits go easy on Wallaby scrum.
Ryan's Sky Sports counterpart Dewi Morris, too, was full of praise for a Wallaby side that's won just three of 11 Tests this year.
The former England No.9 chose to focus on his area of expertise - the backline - and the attacking threat of a man he disparaged earlier this year.
"Anyone who thinks Australia are a bad side need to go and watch their win against Argentina and that last game against New Zealand. If England do not close them down, then they will make them pay," Morris writes.
"I had my doubts initially about Israel Folau but it is 'hold my hands up time' and I admit I got it wrong. He is phenomenal.
"The Wallabies orchestrate the re-starts for him because of his skills in the air and if there are any of those cross-field kicking scenarios and he gets under the ball then he will score. His defence may not have been the best as he got to grips with union but he is 6ft 3inches, 17 stone and can jump off both feet.
"They have an interesting partnership with Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani, too - both of them love to have a go and they will have Will Genia and Quade Cooper pulling the strings. England just cannot afford to give these boys any space." Izzy is phenomenal.
And while Folau's rapid rise has captured the attention of the global rugby public, it's another cross-code convert The Telegraph's Mick Cleary is interested in.
Joel Tomkins, whose brother Sam will link with the Auckland-based Warriors in the NRL, will make his Test debut alongside late Lions call-up Billy Twelvetrees in a hulking midfield duo.
"The pairing of Twelvetrees with Tomkins in the centre is an ad-hoc arrangement in the absence of injured duo, Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi," Cleary writes.
"Yet elite sport is so often about grasping opportunity. Twelvetrees is seen as the desired creative, long-kicking option at inside centre, a latter-day Will Greenwood. He has to show the necessary poise as well as defensive toughness. Barritt is an under-rated force. England did not concede too many with him there.
"Tomkins made the switch from rugby league for an occasion such as this. This is his carpe diem opportunity. He is big, powerful and is there to create mischief in the outside channel as Tuilagi does in his own distinctive way. Tomkins' job is also to ensure that Yarde, Chris Ashton and Mike Brown are in the game at every possible turn.
"The selection makes sense. It is hard to suggest where else England might have turned. These are the men in form. Now they have to deliver." England centres have chance to shine.
01 Nov, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby-gold/british-media-break-with-tradition-fail-to-bash-wallaby-scrum-in-leadup-to-test/story-fndptke0-1226751449212?from=public_rss
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