There’s no easy way to stop 140kg NSW Waratahs giant Will Skelton dead in his tracks, but Brumbies forward Scott Fardy has at least brainstormed a cunning way of slowing him down.
A week after combining to help Australia complete a three-game Test sweep of France, Fardy and Skelton will be on opposite sides for their vital Super Rugby clash this Saturday night.
“I might try and break him out of his (size 18) shoes, it might take him a while to get back in them,” Fardy laughed.
“Just rip one off, throw it into the crowd, see if he can get a new one.”
Finding a replacement could prove difficult if it doesn’t boomerang straight back out of the ANZ Stadium stands.
Unable to source custom made footwear, 203cm-tall Skelton has to buy gridiron boots online.
His clown sized feet haven’t prevented him from a breakthrough 2014 season, however, with the 22-year-old starring for the Wallabies with a try and an assist in his Test debut against the French on Saturday.
“He has such a big, physical presence, which is something that Australian rugby hasn’t had for a while,” Fardy said.
However Fardy may have to wait until the second half for a chance to fiddle with Skelton’s shoelaces, as Waratahs coach Michael Cheika is likely to start South African lock Jacques Potgieter next to Leinster-bound Wallaby Kane Douglas.
It’s the kind of selection headache the injury-hit Brumbies could only dream about.
They’re still sweating over the fitness of key flyhalf Matt Toomua (groin), who could join fellow Wallabies Stephen Moore, Joe Tomane, Sam Carter, Pat McCabe and David Pocock on the sidelines.
Down to their fourth string hooker, the Brumbies must win their final two matches to have any chance of finishing on top of the Australian conference ahead of the Waratahs.
Making their task even more difficult is the red-hot form of Waratahs fullback Israel Folau, who scored three tries in as many games against the French.
“You can’t give him space. He’s a supreme athlete,” Fardy says, before adding that not even the boot trick would work on Folau.
“I reckon ASICS would throw another pair at him pretty quickly.”