Puffed prop sees victory in defeat

By CHRIS RATTUE

New Zealand be warned. The Wallabies have taken great heart out of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup defeat while the All Blacks are vulnerable, according to prop Glenn Panoho.

The 32-year-old Panoho, who was born and raised in Northland, says the rugby superpowers will turn up with new battle plans for the World Cup in October and November meaning results so far are only a rough form guide.

And Panoho said the All Blacks' psychological edge had been broken despite their 21-17 victory at Eden Park.

"I think they're very beatable," said Panoho, after his 21st test and fourth against the All Blacks since 1998.

"A score of 21-17 in New Zealand, you'd take that any time, most teams would, and we almost won it in the end.

"Obviously the bigger picture is going to be the World Cup, although it's always nice to have that Bledisloe and we're disappointed.

"We had our opportunities and didn't take them. We've won those close games in the past and this time it got away from us.

"But it's most encouraging that the gap that everyone thought was there from the first test has been closed considerably.

"I'm not saying it's even-stevens quite yet, but you've got to realise come World Cup time we're playing at home, in front of our crowd, coming into our summer.

"From a psychological point of view I definitely think the gap's been closed and now it's a matter of everyone refining their own attack and defence come World Cup time.

"I don't know whether they are saving something for the World Cup but I'm sure everyone's going to have something special to bring.

"They're going to need to because everyone is going to be studying everyone else's video tapes over the next two months, that's for sure."

So have the Wallabies got something in reserve? "We'll have to wait and see," replied Panoho.

The 120kg prop's last test season was in 2000, with a run of injuries hampering his Wallaby chances since.

Before Saturday night he had played just three club games since the Reds' final Super 12 match in early May and 15 minutes as a replacement against South Africa last week.

Whether Panoho is part of the World Cup action remains to be seen after he huffed and puffed through the test before being replaced by Al Baxter in the 39th minute.

He hardly looked in test match shape around the field although the Wallaby scrum held its own.

When asked how long he thought he could last, Panoho reckoned with a chuckle: "I think after 10 minutes I was putting my hand up.

"My preparation wasn't the best and I carried a corked thigh from a club game through the week. I was thrown into the fray, but that's how it goes.

"They just wanted me to go as hard as I possibly could then they'd make the substitution. After halftime would have been ideal, but I went over on a knee."

It will give the Wallabies even more heart that they competed so strongly with the All Blacks in Auckland with the tighthead prop position being shared by a man struggling for condition and another making his debut.