New Wallaby has the measure of Spies
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:29
Bring it on: New Wallaby No.8 Ben McCalman. (c) Getty
New Wallabies No.8 Ben McCalman believes he has the measure of highly-rated Springbok rival, Pierre Spies.
His brief flirtation with Test rugby - a 10-minute spell at the end of Australia's 30-13 win over South Africa in Brisbane and another 20-odd minutes against the Boks in the 31-44 loss in Pretoria last week - has left him with a desire for more.
And, on Saturday, when the Boks and Wallabies go head-to-head in Bloemfontein, McCalman will make his first international start.
However, it is the memory of his first encounter with Spies, in Brisbane, that makes him believe he is made for the Test arena.
"It was my first touch in Test rugby," McCalman told a media gathering.
"I got a ball close to the tryline from Will Genia that I didn't expect and ran into Spies, expecting pretty heavy contact," McCalman said, adding: "Luckily, I got the better of him on that occasion.
"I just felt, 'How good's this? Give me some more'."
The 22-year-old loose forward, who hails from a 6,000-acre wheat and sheep farm near Warren in the New South Wales central west, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the Test arena.
And it is his no-nonsense approach that convinced Wallabies coach Robbie Deans that he is an ideal fit for e Test against the physically imposing Boks.
"We noticed his love of the physical exchanges, he's a bloke who's not daunted by anything," Deans said.
"He's done really well off the bench.
"He'll bring what he's got which is a real physical presence. He is a lineout option and he's handled that very well so I guess that's another element that we get."
McCalman's promotion comes after three Wallabies forwards were dropped to the bench and one from the matchday squad altogether, following last weekend's loss in Pretoria.
Deans, though, denied anyone was being punished for the meltdown at Loftus Versfeld, when Australia's attacking lineouts failed miserably.
"It's not so much relative to shortcomings," Deans said.
"What we get out of it as well, when you look at the big picture, is we get a lot of mobility and experience coming off the bench so we've just rearranged the order, we haven't really rearranged the playing group."
Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Advertising
