Baxter blasts AB's 'dirty tricks'
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:56
Sound advice: Wallaby prop Al Baxter
Wallabies prop Al Baxter has lit the fuse for scrum-time ahead of the Bledisloe Cup finale in Hong Kong on November 1, accusing the All Blacks of tactically deliberately collapsing scrums in the Tri-Nations decider.
The Hong Kong clash will be the first Bledisloe Cup test played outside of Australasia.
The last time the two sides clashed, the All Blacks came from behind to win 28-24 in Brisbane, in the process securing the Tri-Nations and retaining the Bledisloe Cup.
But Baxter said all was not legitimate at scrum-time, claiming the All Blacks were at-times up to dirty tricks.
"I definitely think there were more collapses by those guys than previously," Baxter told reporters at the Wallabies first pre-tour camp in Sydney.
"That's a tactic where if you think you can get an advantage through that, you go for it.
"They won the game, so obviously they were doing something right, but they wouldn't have been happy with the amount of free kicks.
"I certainly felt on my side they were trying to collapse the scrum more than usual".
Baxter said sides were increasingly able to get away with less at scrum-time.
"They (referees) are trying to improve their technical knowledge of it," Baxter said.
"I know referees have sought technical advice from ex-players. It's really good.
"It's what we want. We want a fair and evenly refereed contest up front just as the backs want it refereed evenly and fairly".
Meanwhile, Baxter has become the latest senior Wallaby player to talk of the personal growth in the squad since the arrival of Robbie Deans as head coach.
He said Deans had empowered players to back themselves to make instinctive decisions on the field, even if it meant attacking from deep in their own half.
He said Deans' coaching had helped him enjoyed his best season in the international arena.
"It's been my best year simply because firstly the technical knowledge has come up to speed and secondly the freedom we have been given around the field has been quite nice," Baxter said.
But, with the Bledisloe Cup clash looming in Hong Kong on November 1, he warned the Wallabies were far from a finished product.
"Even though we are feeling good and we feel we are growing every game, we still need more consistency. We have to make sure everything is 100 per cent on our ball before we worry about disrupting opposition ball," he said.
"We are happy with our progress, but we know we still have a lot of growth in us".
