KEY POINTS:
CARDIFF - Wales are plotting to expose Australia's battle-scarred scrum and land a psychological blow ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup with another upset victory over the Wallabies in Sunday's test at Millennium Stadium.
Wales coach Gareth Jenkins and prop Gethin Jenkins yesterday said the Wallabies' pack
had yet to recover from last year's demoralising spring tour of Europe and remained vulnerable.
Coach Jenkins says he expects the Australian scrum to improve between now and the two teams' key World Cup pool match in Cardiff in a little more than 11 months' time.
But he doesn't believe it has advanced at all since being dominated in Wales' drought-breaking 24-22 win at Millennium Stadium last year.
"I think it's well-documented that if there is an Achilles heel, in the last Tri-Nations, it was the scrum," he said.
"I watched a lot of your games [this season] and it was a factor. There was no doubt at all."
Prop Jenkins agreed, saying although giant tighthead Rodney Blake had done a good job helping shore up the scrum since making his international debut in June, Australia's pack should still expect to be targeted as a weakness.
He has no doubts the scars of 2005 remain.
"Last year, obviously a lot was made of it [Australia's poor scrum] after England took them apart and we came here and we had a pushover try," Jenkins said.
"If you've been somewhere and you've had a hiding in a scrum, you're going to be thinking about that next time you go there.
"So we'll see what they're thinking. I think after last year obviously we can take some benefits from our performance in the scrum."
Wallabies coach John Connolly disagrees, but his Welsh counterpart is adamant Sunday's victors will take a definite edge into their World Cup showdown.
"I'll take advantage of all the psychological blows we can make, that's for sure," Jenkins said.
"Australia are no different to us - it's very important that every game you play that you get a result.
"The evolution that Australia is in is the same we're in - it's about the process of the World Cup and whoever wins on [Sunday] will have a major psychological advantage, that's for sure."
Wales' stirring win last year was their first against Australia since 1987 and ended the Wallabies coaching career of Eddie Jones.
Connolly, though, insists that result is history now and, equally, that the outcome will have no bearing on next year's World Cup encounter at the same venue.
"They've played so much footy since then, they probably don't remember it," Connolly said.
"And there will be a lot of water under the bridge by [the World Cup], and the teams will probably change."
- AAP
