Tate’s date the destiny

Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott has put the onus on himself to counter likely French spoiling ruck tactics in Saturday night’s series decider at Suncorp Stadium.

Previously restricted to cameos off the bench for the Wallabies, Queensland Reds star McDermott will start a Test for the first time after displacing Jake Gordon for the third match of a series locked at 1-1.

Desperate for a memorable night in front of family and friends, McDermott said it was his job to arrive at rucks quicker than he had in the first two Tests of the series when coming on as a replacement for Gordon.

That should help nullify France’s borderline tactics of slowing down the ruck, which has led to too many turnovers for Wallabies coach Dave Rennie’s liking.

“That’ll definitely be a talking point when we go to see the referees before the game so hopefully it’s adjudicated,” McDermott said.

“It’s an absolute nightmare when teams are doing that intentionally and it’s a really good strategy to slow down the ball.

“Whether that’s legal or not, that’s another question and out of my hand.

“I think the biggest thing for me is arriving at that ruck a little bit earlier so I’m getting on my bike post-pass so I’m not waiting to hurdle over players.

“That all comes from our carry and clean. If that’s not done correctly then we’re on the back foot and we have people lying on their back.

“We’ve all got a job to play there and hopefully, it’ll be a little better this week.”

Tate McDermott is wary of France’s tactics. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images for Rugby AustraliaSource:Getty Images

McDermott, 22, said he had worked hard on his core skills after Rennie’s pre-series declaration that the Queenslander was behind Gordon in those areas.

“Even I’d admit that my pass is not where it needs to be. That’s something that we spoke about,” McDermott said.

“I’ve learnt a lot off how Jake passes and it’s something that I tried to add to my game a little bit.

“The biggest thing for me is I need to spend time on this skills.

McDermott said it was “pretty special” for his first start in a Test to be at Suncorp Stadium.

“Jake’s done a really good job, so there should be nothing taken away from him, but to play at Suncorp in front of my friends and family is a really special moment for me and my career,” he said.

“In saying that there’s more at stake this weekend. It’s not about me, it’s not about the other boys getting a run, we’ve got a job to do for our country, and what better way to kickstart our year than with a series win over the French.

“That’s the focus.”

Source: Read Full Article