Australia veteran unbortherd by outside 'noise'
SPOTLIGHT: Steely Wallabies veteran James Slipper is urging his battered troops to block out the “noise” as they look to stop the Lions juggernaut in their do-or-die second Test in Melbourne.
The series is on the line at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday night, with Slipper offering a unique perspective in the current Australian line-up as the only player to have taken part in two series.
Slipper played in the 2013 Wallabies, who narrowly lost the first match and clawed their way to a game two win before the Lions triumphed in the deciding Test.
Conceding disappointment in a 27-19 loss in the opening match in Brisbane, Slipper said there was a belief that the Australians could level the series.
He said the team needed to put the defeat aside and look to build on their performance.
“You’ve just got to kind of bank what’s happened in the past in that game one.
“We don’t have to necessarily start again, but we’ve got to build on what we’ve started and make sure that under pressure we deliver that in the 80 minutes on the weekend,” Slipper said.
“There’s a feeling of belief in the group that we were able to fight back into that game after being a fair stack down at the start of the game.
“We’ve taken a lot of confidence and belief from what we can do.”
The Australians were heavily criticised by the UK media for their lacklustre showing and by England’s former World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward, who said that captain Harry Wilson’s decision to kick the ball out to end the game rather than chase another try showed a “losing mentality”.
Slipper described the comments as “noise”.
“I wouldn’t say it was a losing mentality, I just thought we’ll probably put a full stop on that game and crack on with game two,” the 36-year-old prop said.
“We’re trying to be very internal and making sure our preparation’s the best it can be.
“We know there’s going to be noise, it’s a big event, so for us, we just want to make sure we do our job and perform.”
The Wallabies will be boosted by the return from injury of star flanker Rob Valetini and giant lock Will Skelton, with the pair adding much-needed starch to their pack.
