League: Aussie outrage looks a bit rich

It was British author Stephen Potter who said gamesmanship was "the art of winning games without actually cheating".

Sledging has been a big part of that and has been around since the snake taunted Adam into chomping on the forbidden fruit. None, though, has been as good in recent times as the Australians.

It was somewhat hypocritical, then, for the Australian rugby league team to bleat about Kiwis second-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

The abrasive Waerea-Hargreaves, 20, has played just six NRL games and called veteran Australian prop Petero Civoniceva an "old man".

The Australians felt Waerea-Hargreaves should show more respect for a player who has played almost 250 NRL games, 37 tests and 25 Origin matches.

Team-mate Sam Thaiday said he should not "run his mouth off" until he has "played a few more games". But it is the last thing Waerea-Hargreaves intends doing.

"[They] were calling me rookie or pup and saying, 'give some respect to your elders'," he said after the thrilling 20-20 draw with Australia last weekend. "When I put this jersey on, I've got no respect, apart from my brothers who I play with. I don't respect them."

It's a brave approach but not one endorsed by Monty Betham, the former Warriors player well-known for his confrontational style.

"You should know who to leave sleeping and who to sledge," Betham says. "Sometimes the sleeping giant is best left untouched.

"I liked the fact he stood up to Australia and backed it up with a physical approach but I wonder why he picked a fight with Petero Civoniceva. He could face a backlash now, especially after what he said in the media afterwards.

"He should have let his actions speak louder than words. He should have left it on the park because now he is putting a target on his head. He's also giving the Australians extra motivation.

"If you give lip to someone like Willie Mason, his team-mates wouldn't really care. But if you do it to someone like Petero Civoniceva, his team-mates would get riled up by that. I'm not sure it was the best thing to do."

Betham says there is definitely a time and a place for sledging. It was a tactic he employed regularly in his 12-year professional rugby league career, with somewhat mixed results.

Against a Bulldogs side on an 11-game unbeaten run, he targeted Mason at a halftime break. Betham left Mason in no doubt he would come in for extra attention in the second spell and, according to Betham, dropped two of his first three passes and was dragged from the field.

Another time, he targeted former Bulldogs prop Mark O'Meley, suggesting he was having a quiet game because he was saving himself for Origin. O'Meley went on to play a blinder.

"You have to pick your moments. You need to pick someone vulnerable."

Waerea-Hargreaves won't be reined in by Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney, who has given his young player's tactics qualified endorsement.

"I think it's a matter for the individual and he's an aggressive, young player," Kearney said. "He's been doing that all year.

"I heard whispers about showing Petero respect. For a young lad like that, I think it shows respect. He wasn't going to back down from undoubtedly one of the best props in the game and who has been for quite some time. To me, that is a little bit of respect really.

"I don't want him to get carried away with that side of things. It's important for him that he's effective. If he's over-aggressive, he's no good to anybody," Kearney said.

That's the crucial thing. Mental skills coach Dave Hadfield works with many young sportsmen, preparing them for the psychological battle while coaches largely work on the physical one. Sledging and gamesmanship make up a small but important component of his work.

"I always say to young players, 'if someone has a crack at you, you have two options: you can either fight back ... or you ignore it. It depends if it's going to distract you.

"If he succeeds in doing that, he's won, you've lost. If someone has a crack at you, you have to do what works for you. A lot of young guys can get sucked in if they're not careful."

Waerea-Hargreaves' approach clearly worked for him in that match. Along with the hits from the mouth, he put on some big hits with his shoulders and was confrontational in everything he did.

"I find the Aussies a dag," Hadfield says. "They are the past masters of sledging but complain when a young fella does it to them.

"What he was doing was very Australian-like. He believed in himself, had a crack and said, 'I have no fear of you guys'. You could imagine a young Ricky Ponting being delighted with him.

"It was almost like the Australians were saying he hadn't earned the right to sledge yet and to show some respect.

"It was almost like there was some unwritten law that a young guy can't sledge an old, experienced guy who has been in many battles. Well, hang on a sec.

"If that helped that young fella get up and stay committed and be brave, courageous, focused and motivated, and it worked for him, then good on him. But when I say did it work for him, there's a wider issue. Did it work for the team and the profile of the sport? Is New Zealand rugby league happy for people to see that?"

The big test will be how Waerea-Hargreaves backs up the next time he meets Australia. The first chance will be in the Four Nations final, should both teams make it.

New Zealand have clearly illustrated their approach to this tournament. They used a powerful and imposing forward pack to mix with an Australian line-up trying to do justice to their talented backline.

Their starting pack wielded 14kg, or more than 2kg a man, more beef than their Australian counterparts.

The two benches were comparable in size but the additional two interchanges allowed in international league were to New Zealand's benefit.

Apart from hooker Thomas Leuluai (85kg), all of the Kiwis forwards were more than 102kg (Bronson Harrison) with most closer to 110kg (Fuifui Moimoi 108kg, Adam Blair 108kg, Frank Pritchard 109kg, Jeff Lima 109kg, Waerea-Hargreaves 110kg and Frank-Paul Nuuausala 114kg).

The pack that faced France this morning, which included two changes because of injury, was of a similar size.

"Up front is the place to target Australia," Betham says. "They have the best backline in the world and they are vulnerable up front. They don't want to let their backs down.

"I really like the look of the Kiwis team. Their forwards play with controlled aggression and can hit a defender with the shoulder, which puts doubt in their minds, and they can also beat a defender with footwork. It's encouraging."