Kay keeps calm as Australians start war of words
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Your support makes all the difference.It has started childishly, and as things are likely to get more infantile still as the match approaches this could be the first World Cup quarter-final to be played in a crèche. John O'Neill, the chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union and a very sharp operator indeed when he is not in pantomime mode, has had his say – "Everyone hates England; it's a statement of the bleeding obvious" – as have the likes of Austin Healey and David Campese, who are still talking good games well into retirement. By the end of the week, references to Ned Kelly, the Tolpuddle Martyrs and Dame Edna will be two a penny. Why not get Barry Humphries to referee and have done with it?
While O'Neill opted for the route-one approach – at times, he can be as subtle as a brick – the Wallaby skills coach, Scott Johnson, went for sarcasm. "We're just a small nation, they're the reigning champions," he said yesterday, a world-class smirk on his face. "That makes them hot favourites." But for a question about his possible return to Wales as head coach, he would have continued in that vein until nightfall. As it was, he clammed up.
Ben Kay, a member of the England team that beat the Wallabies in the 2003 final, could barely stifle a yawn. "They're calling us boring? We've known we're boring for ages," the Leicester lock said, with considerable irony. "It's nothing new, all this. It comes with the rivalry between the two countries. When I first started playing the Australian perception of England may have worked its way under my skin a little, but that's just the way they are. I enjoy the Australian psyche, actually. In 2003, they gave us absolute hell leading up to the final and then showed what a great sporting nation they were the next morning by admitting the best team won."
Away from the playground, the Australians confirmed that the centre Morgan Turinui would join the squad on Thursday as replacement for the No 8 David Lyons, who snapped his left fibula during the 37–6 victory over Canada in Bordeaux last weekend. Turinui has not played international rugby since 2005, but as the Wallaby coaches are concerned at their dwindling midfield resources – Stephen Larkham and Scott Staniforth have been laid low with illness and injury respectively – they decided to send for him rather than a like-for-like loose forward.
England, who have played the Wallabies in four of the five previous World Cups and are currently squaring the series, reported that the wing Jason Robinson and the flanker Tom Rees had resumed full training after recovering from hamstring complaints. However, Mark Cueto is struggling – the Sale back has a calf injury – while two more players who started last Friday's victory over Tonga, the in-form wing Paul Sackey and the back-rower Lewis Moody, were given an extra day's rest following their bruising exertions against the Pacific islanders.
Ireland's Alain Rolland has been given charge of the game, but the most intriguing development on the refereeing front was the appointment of Wayne Barnes, the young English official, to the big New Zealand v France contest in Cardiff. A barrister from the Forest of Dean and by some distance the youngest of the 12 referees selected for the tournament, Barnes has impressed the judges with his confident and sympathetic work and appears to have moved ahead of his fellow West Countrymen, Tony Spreadbury and Chris White, who will run the lines at the Millennium Stadium.
One individual who will not be involved in Cardiff is the New Zealand No 8 Sione Lauaki, yesterday banned for two matches after being found guilty of an illegal tackle of the "swinging arm" variety during the favourites' heavy win over Romania at the weekend. The Wales flanker Martyn Williams, meanwhile, will not be involved at Test level again. One of the most intelligent and highly skilled footballing forwards of his generation, Williams has called it a day after winning 76 caps.
World Cup Update
Saturday 6 October: quarter-finals
Australia v England [QF1]
New Zealand v France [QF2]
Sunday 7 October: quarter-finals
South Africa v Fiji [QF3]
Argentina v Scotland [QF4]
Saturday 13 October: semi-final
Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
Sunday 14 October: semi-final
Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
Friday 19 October: Loser 1st SF v Loser 2nd SF
Saturday 20 Octover: final
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
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