Holmes ready for quarter final against Scotland

Holmes has won a Super rugby title with the Reds, now he is three wins away from a World Cup title with the Wallabies.

Coach Vern Cotter initially named Fraser Brown at hooker and Tim Swinson at lock but in his revised team released an hour before kickoff, they dropped to the bench. Australia, though, are proving a resourceful bunch and two tries in 10 minutes immediately before half-time reduced the margin to a single point.

“So it’s tough trying to pick weaknesses when there aren’t many”.

“We’ve beaten Australia before”, Laidlaw said.

“When we kicked off again we were just fighting to get the ball back”.

Scottish captain Greig Laidlaw demanded to know why referee Craig Joubert failed to seek the view of the Television Match Official before awarding the penalty that enabled Australia to snatch victory by a single point in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

“They couldn’t do their jobs and that’s the key”, Cheika told a news conference Saturday, on the eve of the quarterfinal at Twickenham.

“We’re losing a world class player but we’re gaining a world class player”. We’d need to come out fighting regardless.

The 27-year-old also produced the performance of his life at this stage four years ago, when he made 26 tackles and nine turnovers in the Wallabies gutsy 11-9 win over South Africa – despite Australia enjoying just 24 per cent of possession.

With no precedent for a complete reversal of a suspension Cotter has gone ahead and planned for Ford and Gray’s absence.

“We’re not going there just to make up the numbers”. We anticipate these problems even though we don’t like them.

Asked about the bans, “That’s politics, we don’t worry about that”. Scotland established a platform in the Wallaby 22 and, with defenders fanning out either side of the ruck, Peter Horne nipped through the middle untouched to score.

Both players were included in the Scotland pack against a Australia side who themselves were without two crucial players in the form of full-back Israel Folau and number eight David Pocock.

Cotter added: “We must play our game and stay with it for 80 minutes”. “He’s as good a six as he is a seven”.

“We’re playing against a team that likes front-foot ball”, he said. They really like to chance their hand as well.

It was an expensive spill as Australia went through a dozen composed phases before whipping it wide for Mitchell to dive over.

It’s an honour he thought unimaginable when he quit Australian shores at the end of 2011, seemingly stranded on 92 Test caps after a public falling out with then-Wallabies coach Robbie Deans which led to his non-selection at the 2011 World Cup. They’re offering good odds. Character is what’s required at those times to help you get out of those moments and help you bounce back effectively when your time comes during the game. We have to get our technique right.

“Winning is infectious and the better you play the more confidence you build. We have to keep that somehow”. “Then anything can happen”.

Wasn’t it Graham Henry who said that the No. 7 was the most important player on the field?