Robinson expects forwards challenge
England head coach Andy Robinson expects Australia’s forwards to give his side a far tougher battle up front on the two-match tour Down Under than they did at Twickenham in the autumn.
The Wallabies pack, seriously depleted by injuries, were overpowered by both England and Wales as Australia slumped to defeat against both countries on the Northern Hemisphere tour.
Drastic action followed their return home, with wholesale changes to the coaching set-up, and Robinson has no doubt former Aussie hooker Michael Foley, who was lured home from English Premiership club Bath, will have instilled steel into their pack.
“We know how good Michael Foley is at bringing a pack together,” said Robinson before the England squad flew out from Heathrow late last night ahead of the Tests in Sydney on June 11 and in Melbourne six days later.
Robinson recalled: “I first came across it in 2001 when he coached and led the pack in the second Test against the Lions after we demolished them in the first Test, so I know just how good he is.
“From seeing his work with Bath, we know the pack we will be thrown against will be well organised at the set piece and very competitive at the lineout so, first and foremost, we know the challenges ahead of us there.”
