Australia call in Puma know-how to fix scrums ahead of World Cup
Former Argentina star Mario Ledesma steps up to help Wallabies get it right in set pieces
Australia's Wallabies have turned to Argentina's scrum doctor Mario Ledesma to change the perception that they are pushovers in the countdown to September's Rugby World Cup.
Ledesma, who played 84 tests for Argentina as a hooker, has begun working with the Wallabies on set pieces after performing the same function for the New South Wales Waratahs throughout the Super Rugby season.
The Wallabies' maligned scrum came in for more scrutiny after some shaky moments in their season-opening Rugby Championship test against South Africa in Brisbane last Saturday.
What we are trying to do here, and I think we did it really well during the Super Rugby, is change that perception everyone has of the Australian team
Australia's forwards have regularly been targeted by opponents over the past decade to great effect, and they will be under enormous pressure at the World Cup against pool rivals and scrummaging powerhouses England and Wales.
Michael Cheika's men can expect another thorough examination in Mendoza this weekend against Argentina, a rugby nation renowned for their scrummaging prowess.
Ledesma, who represented Argentina at four World Cups over a 15-year international career up to 2011, does not believe the Wallabies scrum is their Achilles heel, but acknowledged that may be the perception outside Australia.
"What we are trying to do here, and I think we did it really well during the Super Rugby, is change that perception everyone has of the Australian team," Ledesma said Tuesday.
