London: What a difference a year makes. Last November, former England halfback Ben Youngs stoked the fire ahead of the Wallabies’ visit to Twickenham, dismissing the visitors’ chances of victory on his podcast, saying: “Australia, don’t waste my time.”
Youngs ate humble pie after the Wallabies’ stunning victory last year, and now the narrative has changed significantly in London. Former England and Lions winger Ugo Monye believes that writing off the Wallabies has proven a fool’s errand.
“They’re a team that’s had to live with a narrative maybe for the last year or so, where people just write them off,” Monye, who has also worked as a commentator, said.
“I think at times people have been borderline disrespectful [to the Wallabies]. I remember heading down to the [British and Irish] Lions series and chatting to a load of Lions fans, and they’re like ‘this will be 3-0’, and I’m like, no, no, this is a very good Australian side.
“Then I remember off the back of the Lions, people saying: ‘this Australian team aren’t any good, yeah, they won that last Test, but there was nothing on the line’. Then the Wallabies go to South Africa, and everyone woke up and put some respect on them.
“So if that’s the narrative [of writing off Australia] coming into this weekend, let me just cast your minds back to South Africa, where they won there for the first time in 60 years and inflicted the biggest points margin on a South African team for years, they’re a very good team.”
The Wallabies have earned back England respect in LondonCredit: Getty Images
Former World Cup winner Ben Kay is just as nervous about a Wallabies team that he believes can turn in another strong performance at Twickenham, despite missing centre Len Ikitau and five-eighth James O’Connor.
“You know, there is huge doubt over here about the result on Saturday,” Kay said.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “brisbanetimes”“
