Wallabies to take a giant leap
According to utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper the ambitious Wallabies are not going to wait until the next World Cup to prove that they are the best team in the world.
The World Cup has a major influence on the planning cycles of international teams, with many countries looking to a new coach and a fresh crop of players every four years , but Ashley-Cooper is adamant that Australia will undergo no such “building process” as they seek instant success.
He told AAP: “We’ve just got to approach it week to week, there’s no point starting building again for another four years.”
“We want to win Test matches, and that’s important because we want to be the best team in the world week-in, week-out. If we play like that, and win those Tests week-in, week-out, by the end of next year we can be the No.1 ranked team in the world.”
That test will get underway when they take on the Barbarians in a mouth-watering clash before they face Wales at the Millenium Stadium on December 3 and Ashley-Cooper will only be satisfied with two victories.
‘We want to win every game we play. So I think it’s important we build only weekly to the game we’re playing that week. We have a two-week tour and we want to win both of those games,” he said.
Although it may be viewed as a bit of a low-key tour coming straight after the World Cup, if the Wallabies are serious about knocking the All Blacks off their perch in the No.1 spot then they will need to step up against a Welsh team that will be determined to get revenge for their defeat to Australia in the World Cup third-place play-off.
Ashley-Cooper commented: “Knowing the Welsh will be coming out fired up to get one back on us in front of a full-house Millennium [Stadium] crowd is more than enough motivation to get up for that game.”
The new Waratahs signing added that he expects the team to be firing on all cylinders by the time they square up to the Welsh.
“We all have that competitive nature and are always ready to compete and go and get ’em, and, to go over for two weeks, the guys can take a lot of excitement out of that.
“We’ve had a couple of weeks to recover from the World Cup, we’ve all had some time away … and we’re always looking to go again. It’s always a great opportunity to play for Australia, and we’ve got the opportunity to play against the BaaBaas [Barbarians], which will be a tough battle – we’ll get to play a few more Kiwis. And then we’ve got the Welsh,” he said.
The backline ace is expecting an electric atmosphere at the Millenium Stadium , with the passionate Welsh fans sure to be out in full force.
“Every reception we’ve encountered at Millennium Stadium is hostile,” Ashley-Cooper said. “It’s loud, vibrant and probably one of the best atmospheres a player can encounter. When that roof is closed, you can’t even hear yourself think. Any visiting country loves playing at Millennium Stadium and the boys will be fired up for it.”
