January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Australia using sevens to full advantage
Australia using sevens to full advantage
Both the Antipodean giants squeezed through tough first-round encounters on Sunday to set up tonight's mouth-watering semi-final. The Aussies beat Argentina 22-12 in extra-time and France beat New Zealand 12-8.
And Bishop, who insists his side of veterans have lost none of their competitive edge, believes the fact that his squad contains so many former Sevens stars emphasizes their commitment to playing an expansive game.
"We've definitely got the cattle to chuck it around a bit and score some tries. When we picked our squad we wanted to change the way the game was played and make it more for the crowd.
"We're playing more of a running game this year and New Zealand are the same. They've definitely got the wheels out wide. Their wingers are very fast but we don't plan on letting them get much of the ball."
New Zealand discarded their tradition of refusing to kick conversions - a statement of their commitment to running rugby - in Sunday's victory over France.
But Bishop does not see that as a sign that the All Blacks are turning their back on their principles - It's just a sensible move.
"A couple of points can be the difference between winning and losing so if you're allowed to kick conversions it just makes sense to take the points."
Winning and losing, of course, are not always what the Classic is all about. But Bishop insists that victory is very important to his side, who have lost none of their competitive instinct in retirement.
"We're here to play rugby and we want to win without question. At this level, just like any other, you are judged on your results.
"If you look at Argentina, the amount of capped players they had and the way they played, they were here to win, too.
New Zealand has picked a younger side than in previous years. Everybody is taking it seriously."
The Aussies would love to have the chance for revenge against the Lions, who beat them in last year's final, and have started the tournament in fine fettle routing Team America 55-12 on Monday to set up a semi-final clash with South Africa on Thursday.
"We were unlucky in last year's final. We had a try disallowed by a Northern Hemisphere referee.
"We always like bashing the Pommies and if we get a chance to do that at rugby then all the better."[[In-content Ad]]
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