Phipps wary of Smith threat
Wallaby scrumhalf Nick Phipps will go heat-to-head with arguably the best scrumhalf in the world – Aaron Smith, and he is cautious of the challenge.
The two No.9's will battle it out again in Saturday's Rugby Championship decider at ANZ Stadium after Phipps came off second best in the Super Rugby semifinal not so long ago.
"They [the Highlanders] dusted us [the Waratahs] off well and truly and he had a great game as well," Phipps told NZ newswire.
Looking ahead to the Bledisloe and Rugby Championship clash on Saturday, Phipps praised his nemesis saying that he would have to raise his game to match the quality distribution his opposite number generates.
"He's always good to play against. We always find each other on the field and I really enjoy playing against Aaron," Phipps explained.
"He's such a good competitor and he always lifts my game."
Phipps knows better than most how lethal Smith is, having been on the end of a master-class from the classy little New Zealander in the Highlanders' Super Rugby semifinal win over the Waratahs in June.
"He's going to be great around the field, he's a livewire and a lot spark from the team comes through him.
"We're going to have to put a lot of work around our ruck defence and watching him very carefully."
Whatever happens against the All Blacks, Phipps said coach Michael Cheika would ensure a big focus was on the Wallabies being physical whenever possible.
"We want to make sure that no matter what the score is or what the result is, we want to bring that Aussie spirit to the game…that's not taking a backward step and leading in the physicality stakes," he said.
"We want to put in those efforts that stops the momentum of teams.
"We are going to be trying to bring that physicality as any team under Cheik will be.
"Once we have that physicality and that never give up attitude, the body-on-the-line stuff for your teammates, then you can start to fine tune things."
NZ newswire.
