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MARSEILLE - Australia's pre-tournament boast that they have been developing the best forward pack in world rugby will be put to the test this weekend when the Wallabies lock horns with England.
England have long been the masters of forward play and have regularly delighted in demolishing the Australians, most famously during the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney then again at Twickenham two years later.
Those experiences forced the Australians to re-think their whole approach to forward play and, while they have made a rapid improvement in the last 18 months, they have yet to convince anyone they have the best pack in the world.
Sunday's (NZ time) quarter-final against England is their chance to prove a point.
England may have struggled in this tournament, and were thrashed 36-0 by South Africa in the pool rounds, but their pack remains a powerful force.
Australia vice-captain Phil Waugh, who played against England in the last World Cup quarter-final and at Twickenham in 2005, said Saturday's match would show just how much the Wallaby pack had improved.
"It's a big challenge on Saturday (Sunday NZ time), but we'll see where we stand," Waugh told a news conference. "We want to be the best pack in the world and to dominate England's forward pack is a huge step to achieving that.
"We're not there yet. But the answers are going to come on Saturday and in the two weeks after that."
If there is a wildcard in the Australian pack, it is tighthead prop Guy Shepherdson.
The 25-year-old is the only forward who has never played against England so has no mental scars and is wondering what all the fuss is about.
"I didn't play in any of those games, I just watched them on TV, like everyone else," he said.
"But I do think it's a bit strange that it keeps getting brought up again because it was a long time ago now."
The importance of matching or bettering England's pack has not been lost on any of the Wallabies, who know that even tougher challenges lie ahead with either New Zealand or France waiting in the semi-finals.
"The further you go, the deeper the wound," said assistant coach Scott Johnson. "It hurts now to lose, you're out. To win now, we'll have to play at our best and every game from here in will be the same."
- REUTERS
