No 3 is Hayman's magic number

Carl Hayman

Any self-respecting old forward will tell you the guy with No 3 on his back should be the first name the coach writes down on the team sheet.


He's the rock, the anchor of the scrum. Control your set piece and you're in business, and that comes down to who has the hooker's right arm round his shoulders.


In the All Blacks, Carl Hayman has possession of the tighthead job now.


Since the first World Cup 18 years ago, wearers of the No 3 have included John Drake, Richard Loe, Olo Brown, Kees Meeuws and Greg Somerville, who is on the bench tomorrow night.


Hayman's a big man with a claim to fame. He was the 1000th test All Black when he made his debut against Samoa at Albany in June 2001. Since then he's been in and out - he wasn't required throughout 2003 - but now he's the incumbent tighthead developing an impressive reputation for the power of his tight work.


So what does the bearded hard man of the front row think of this year's work?


Take out the loss to South Africa at Cape Town and he's happy with the improvement.


"A lot of guys had come off the Lions series and that took a lot out of them.


"When we did come together, well, for myself it was four or five weeks since I'd played any rugby. A lot of guys were in the same boat.


"It showed during the Tri-Nations where we've gradually improved as we went along."


On reflection, Hayman thinks having a game to prepare during that break might have been beneficial "but that's the way the schedule worked. It would have been good but I don't think it was practical."


Tomorrow night, he will spearhead an All Black pack against a Wallaby eight who have copped a bagging for their inability to scrummage. They have folded, fallen, stood up, wriggled and survived on refereeing goodwill for a few seasons now.


Drake, who knows a bit about the muscular art of the front-rower, wrote in the Herald after the All Blacks' 30-13 win in Sydney a fortnight ago that, but for "some great kindness" from talkaholic English referee Tony Spreadbury, the Wallabies would have been hammered.


"It was a disgrace that such power and technique should be punished when the jellyfish survived," Drake wrote.


Hayman understandably was reluctant to buy into any suggestion that the scrum is, er, not the Wallabies' strongest point.


"They're always pretty competitive, as most Aussies are," he mused.


His loosehead opponent, Bill Young, on whom much of the criticism has fallen, is playing his 45th test tomorrow night.


"You don't hang around test rugby that long by being a mug," Hayman said.


Fair enough, too.


After tomorrow, and a rest, it will be back to Otago for a few rumbles with his old mates, Anton Oliver and Carl Hoeft in the NPC, as good a front row as any going round in the country, before Hoeft heads for France.


"It's sad to see him go, but that'll be pretty special to see Carl out."

Carl Hayman

* Was the 1000th test All Black when he made his debut against Samoa at Albany in June 2001.

* The Taranaki-born tighthead climbed the ladder through nation under-16, secondary schools, under-19 and under-21 teams.

* He has yet to score a try in 21 tests.