Take a bow, Neil Jenkins, as well as the spookily accurate Leigh Halfpenny, – and not forgetting the still more accurate Owen Farrell. These dead-eyed kickers are setting a standard – 90 per cent-plus – to which the Wallabies are merely aspiring.
In the second Test at Docklands Stadium on Saturday, the outcome – victory will clinch the series – is likely to depend on Halfpenny, or possibly Farrell or Jonathan Sexton, and the honing of their superb talents by Jenkins.
“We have seen already from the way things went in Brisbane last Saturday how important kicking is,†said Jenkins. “We have to acknowledge it’s generally goal-kickers who win or lose Test matches – and we are lucky to have the kickers we do.â€
There is no denying Jenkins’ conviction. When Kurtley Beale fluffed his last-gasp penalty to win it, he had already sliced another a few minutes earlier. All in, Australia missed five from nine. By contrast, Halfpenny landed five from six – and the only surprise was that he missed at all.
It was only his second error in 29 kicks on tour, giving him a success rate of 93.1 per cent. Farrell kicked all three touchline conversions against Melbourne Rebels on Tuesday, leaving him at 94.7, with 18 out of 19.
A kicker of Sexton’s standard can only watch, his two from five against the Barbarians in Hong Kong being enough to place him only fourth in the order of merit, as Stuart Hogg has eight from 12.
As each lines up his kick, his ubiquitous shadow is Jenkins, acting as the waterboy but being the kicking coach, lining himself up like a snooker cue behind Halfpenny, Farrell, Hogg or Sexton to encourage, observe and analyse.
He knows what he is on about.
Article source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wales-rugby-star-craig-mitchell-4726750
Neil Jenkins" men are goal dust for Lions
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