Posts Tagged ‘australia’

Mitchell Johnson: High expectations

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Johnson admits he is under pressure to perform in South Africa in order to keep his place.

He took just three wickets at an average of 52.17 on the three-match tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, which put him under pressure.

But the 29-year-old feels he bowled strongly in difficult conditions and would be rewarded if he performed similarly during the two-Test trip to South Africa in November.

“Obviously I didn’t get the wickets (in Sri Lanka). That’s what the selectors want to see – wickets and runs,” Johnson said.

Consistently

“But for me I felt like I bowled pretty well and pretty consistently. My pace was up. So it’s just getting those wickets on board. If I bowled like I did in Sri Lanka in South Africa, I think I’m going to get wickets over there.

“As a bowling unit I think we bowled well as a group. That was the most exciting thing for me.

“There’s always been pressure to perform and there’s always guys there pushing the envelope to get the spot to be in the team. But you try not to think about it too much and just go out there and try to perform the best you can, and hopefully that’s good enough.”

And Johnson’s state coach – Western Australia’s Mickey Arthur – was also confident he would bounce back in a big way in South Africa.

“He really likes bowling in South Africa and he’s got a very good record there,” he said.

“He’s been training really well with us. Technically he looks in a really good place at the moment, so I’m expecting a big series from him.

Opportunity

“Mitchell is a proven match-winner and he’ll do it time and time again for Australia in the future.”

Johnson said he was disappointed to have been left out of the Twenty20 squad for the South African tour, but staying home will allow him to warm up for one-day international and Test legs by playing for WA against Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield at the WACA Ground, beginning on Tuesday.

The match will be the left-arm quick’s first appearance for the Warriors at their home ground and he said he was thrilled to finally have that opportunity.

“It (the WACA Ground) is just a good place to play. You get the weather that comes with it as well, that breeze that comes as well. I love it,” Johnson said.

Habana: Confident of success

Bryan Habana has dismissed claims that Australia will have the psychological advantage over South Africa in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final.

Australia have beaten the Springboks in five of their last six meetings – including twice in this season’s Tri-Nations series.

However Habana, who scored eight tries during the 2007 World Cup, believes Australia’s shock 15-6 defeat to Ireland in the pool stage proved that past results count for little.

“They could have felt that way (having a psychological advantage) about Ireland as well,” said Habana.

“Anything can happen in this competition. So yes, they’ve got the edge over us at the moment but in a knockout game that means nothing.”

The defending champions booked their place in the last-eight after going through the pool stage unbeaten. Having scraped through their opening game against Wales, they looked far more impressive in the wins over Namibia, Fiji and Samoa.

And Habana claims that the side now believe they can go on to successfully defend their title.

“We set ourselves goals and I think we’re realistic about how good we are and how far we can go,” he said.

“As individuals and as a team, we truly believe we can go all the way.”

Botha: Expecting a tough physical battle against Australia

Veteran lock Bakkies Botha insists South Africa’s old guard will throw everything at Australia knowing their days in Test rugby are numbered.

The Tri-Nations rivals meet in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final at Wellington Regional Stadium, with the Wallabies starting as marginal favourites.

Defending world champions South Africa possess a team that many believe will never recover former glories, with players such as John Smit and Victor Matfield in the autumn of their careers.

But second-row enforcer Botha has demanded that any thoughts of retirement are delayed for another week by toppling Australia.

“A handful of us have been around the block for nine, 10 years and the big secret for us is to focus on the weekend,” he said.

“When you pull that green and gold jersey on you must give it your all and we are not holding back one inch.

“We know from this weekend the intensity is going to get higher and the pressure as well.

“A lot of the guys know it can be their last game and the team that loses this weekend is on their way home, so we know what we must produce.”

Forward improvement

Botha believes Tri-Nations champions Australia have developed their forward play over the last two years.

“Since Robbie Deans took over the Australia pack have picked up their physicality a lot, as we saw in the Tri Nations,” he said.

“They are a much more physical side than three or four years ago.

“You can’t play Test rugby if you have not got a pack that dominates physically and this weekend’s battle will be physical.

“We must get on the pitch, do our best and have a good day at the office.

“Every Test is a clash of the packs, where we make a few deals and everything in the rucks, sorting each other out.

“We know that a Test match against Australia is a physical battle and that’s the first battle we must win to put our backline on the front foot.”

Elsom: Spurred on by loss to England four years ago

Rocky Elsom believes it is important Australia do not forget the pain of their World Cup quarter-final exit at England’s hands four years ago.

Jonny Wilkinson kicked the Wallabies out of World Cup contention in Marseille in 2007, his accuracy with the boot securing a tense 12-10 triumph.

This time around, Australia cannot meet their conquerors in the last two tournaments until the final.

Elsom and company, though, are currently preoccupied with getting past next Sunday’s opponents South Africa. If they manage that, then they will probably have to face New Zealand at the last-four stage.

But memories of Marseille remain for the likes of flanker Elsom and his playing colleagues that October afternoon.

Lessons of the past

“It is important to take the lessons of the past, now and then,” Elsom said.

“And we don’t have to go too far back to have a look at when we don’t do things so well how it turns out for us.

“It is just about the whole group being aware of what helps us go well, and in particular that this team performs well.”

Australia beat South Africa home and away this summer on their way to landing the Tri Nations title, winning 39-20 in Sydney and then 14-9 in Durban.

But Elsom anticipates a different kind of game unfolding at Wellington Regional Stadium as both countries contest a semi-final spot.

“In the Tri Nations it was a different setting and the game was played a different way,” he added.

“But it doesn’t mean we cannot adapt and it doesn’t mean they won’t adapt, but I imagine it will be different.

Breakdown crucial

“If you ever discount the breakdown you are going to be in trouble, particularly as we get to the pointy end of the tournament.

“That is going to be an area of contention, because any team that gets the dominance at the breakdown they are going to provide front-foot ball for their attack, and that is an enormous part of the game.

“I think if you look at the teams whose attack has really stuttered in this tournament, you can almost always link it back to the breakdown.

“Obviously, the game flows in the pool stages when you have lesser sides versus more fancied sides, but in the big games it tends to tighten up and every inch of ascendancy you can gain there at the breakdown is crucial.”

And there was some welcome news for Australia today with threequarter Digby Ioane confirming he was fit and available after breaking his thumb against Pool C opponents Italy last month.

“I am 100%,” said Ioane. “I will be doing full training this week and be up there for selection.”

Mark Cueto: Set to come in for Armitage

Mark Cueto is ready to reclaim his England place after “sulking” over being dropped.

Cueto is set to return to the starting XV for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France after rbeing dropped axed for England’s crucial victory over Scotland at the weekend, despite scoring a hat-trick against Romania in the previous game.

Delon Armtiage was preferred against the Scots but he has now picked up a one-match ban for a dangerous high tackle.

Cueto, still disappointed at Martin Johnson’s decision to drop him, insists he is ready to return.

“The thought didn’t come into my head about not getting picked for the next week (against Scotland),” Cueto said.

“To then get dropped after a hat-trick I was like ‘oh my God, where am I at here?’

“Johnno explained his decision and we had a chat for five or 10 minutes. I was 100 per cent fit but the coaches weren’t convinced. Regardless of our relationship I’ve got to accept that.

“I maybe spat my dummy out for a while. I was sulking. I was hugely disappointed.”

It was a familiar feeling for the Sale star, who also enjoyed plenty of ups and downs at the last World Cup.

“Experience is telling me it is a long competition,” he added. “For me the comparisons with this and the last World Cup in 2007 are just uncanny.

“I seem to have three relatively comfortable years where things just seemed to go right. In 2007 I played in the pool stages and got a hamstring injury against Tonga.

“I missed the quarter-final against Australia and the semi-final against France. Josh (Lewsey) pulled his hamstring in the semi and I got into for the final of the World Cup.

“It is such a crazy competition. You can’t compare it to anything else.

“One minute you are at the bottom of the pile and suicidal, for want of a better phrase, and the next minute you are playing in a World Cup final and top of the pile.

“Selection is a part of sport. Everyone’s had a disappointment at some point along the line and that’s the way it will always be.”

Amla: Stand-in captain

Opening batsman Hashim Amla will lead South Africa in this month’s limited overs series against Australia.

Amla will take over from wicket-keeper/batsman AB de Villiers who is sidelined with a fractured finger as the teams play two T20 Internationals and three one-dayers.

The absence of De Villiers also means a return to the squad for veteran gloveman Mark Boucher, who was left out of the Proteas World Cup squad earlier this year.

Uncapped batsman Richard Levi is named in the squad for the two T20 internationals while all-rounder David Miller is recalled to both squads.

“With the International Cricket Council’s World Twenty20 less than a year away we need to keep a solid core of experience around the side,” CSA selection convener Andrew Hudson said.

“But at the same time we want to give younger players a run as well and this certainly applies in the case of Richard Levi and David Miller.

“We have left Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn out of the T20 squad as part of our rotation policy…we have a lot of cricket ahead of us, not just this season, but also in the next off-season with the tour to England as well as the World Twenty20, and we must manage our senior players sensibly.”

The selectors have kept faith with opening batsman Graeme Smith who stepped down as limited-overs captain after the World Cup.

The series against Australia will be the first under new coach Gary Kirsten, who guided India to World Cup glory in March.

The first T20 gets under way in Cape Town on October 13.

One-day squad: Hashim Amla (capt), Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Twenty20 squad: Hashim Amla (capt), Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Heino Kuhn, Richard Levi, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Juan Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Byrne: Wants to go further than any other Wales side at the World Cup

Wales full-back Lee Byrne believes his side are capable of winning the World Cup after they booked their place in the quarter-finals.

Byrne and company will next meet Ireland in Wellington next Saturday after crushing Pool D opponents Fiji 66-0 at Waikato Stadium.

Wales’ best World Cup performance was a third-place finish at the inaugural competition in New Zealand 24 years ago, but the 31-year-old is determined to go further than those 1987 exploits.

Asked if Wales could win the tournament, he said: “I would probably say so.

“We know Ireland played very well to beat Australia, and we will give them respect, but we will give it our best to try to go as far or further than any Welsh team has done in the World Cup.

“The hard work has been done. We’re in great shape for the knockout rounds after coming through a difficult pool.

Ambitions

“We are here for another week, but we want to stay for longer. The boys are really enjoying being at the tournament and we have got high ambitions.

“We are confident about our prospects against Ireland. It’s just a case of seeing what happens on the day.”

Wales’ young guns once again shone as they all played key roles against Fiji, with skipper Sam Warburton, wings George North and Leigh Halfpenny, centre Scott Williams and replacement scrum-half Lloyd Williams, who have a combined age of just 104, scoring tries.

“We are here for another week, but we want to stay for longer. The boys are really enjoying being at the tournament and we have got high ambitions. “Lee Byrne Quotes of the week

Wales not only avenged their World Cup elimination defeat against Fiji in Nantes four years ago, but also inflicted a tournament record defeat on the South Sea Islanders.

Byrne added: “George has now scored nine tries in 11 internationals, which says it all. He has got something special.

“He’s big, physical and is also exceptionally quick. His passing and skills are good as well, so he’s got it all really.

Incredible

“George has played more games for Wales than the Scarlets, which is incredible when you think about it.

“I enjoyed the win and the points we scored, but to stop Fiji from getting anything was more pleasing. Our defence coach Shaun Edwards was delighted with the shut-out.

“We weren’t really too worried about Fiji. We knew our fitness would tell in the end and we could rely on it.

“From the start we were fitter than Fiji. We fronted up to them in the forwards and they didn’t like it, spilling the ball a bit.

“We knew how much they liked to run the ball, so to keep them to zero has really sent a message out to the rest of the world about the strength of our defence.

“I am sure Ireland would have been watching us, and we will see them in the quarters.”

Smith: made an unbeaten 45

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Steven Smith guided New South Wales to a five-wicket victory in a low-scoring Group A clash with Mumbai Indians in Chennai.

The Australia international hit an unbeaten 45 in his side’s run chase, his 47-ball knock including five boundaries and a solitary six.

Smith combined with Ben Rohrer (26 not out) in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 73 that saw New South Wales past the Indians’ total of 100-7 with three overs to spare.

They had appeared in serious trouble before the pair came together, slipping to 28-5 as Mumbai Abu Nechim claimed three wickets with the new ball.

Early wobbles

Shane Watson became the seamer’s first victim when he was bowled off both pads, while opening partner David Warner perished in the same over for 12, having hit the first three balls he faced to the boundary.

However the Indians simply didn’t have enough runs to play with in the final reckoning, their innings suffering a disastrous start when they slipped to 9-3.

Stuart Clark (2-15) caused the early mayhem and with wickets continuing to fall steadily, James Franklin was forced to fight a lone vigil.

The New Zealand all-rounder made 42 not out from 51 deliveries, creeping the final total into three figures with a scampered two off the final ball.

Rajagopal Sathish (14) and Harbhajan Singh (15) added some belated hitting in the closing overs, but their final total simply never looked enough to stop New South Wales from recording a second win in three outings.

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