Australia's Sharpe closes in on century

It is indicative that Wallaby Test veteran Nathan Sharpe is more concerned with getting Australia over the line at Rugby World Cup 2011 than reaching his 100-Test milestone.

That is typical Sharpe, an uncompromising second row who leads from the front whether it is at the helm of his Super Rugby side Western Force or in the green and gold of Australia.
He is a tantalising four Tests short of the ton but said: "All I care about is helping Australia win the World Cup."

The fact that he may play a spare-parts role in the coming weeks does not ruffle his ego.

"It is so good to see so many players challenging for positions now, you don't have a situation where you only have a couple of players up to scratch,'' he said.

''You want guys putting pressure on you."

Fierce competition

Sharpe, 33, was not selected to play against New Zealand in the Tri Nations this season but was used effectively for the two winning encounters against South Africa.

He will take nothing for granted in the coming weeks.

"We will just be concentrating on winning all our pool games and take it from there," he said.

"There is a possibility of meeting either Wales or Samoa in the quarter-finals, so I'm sure the coaches will be doing some homework on them.

"But I don't think there is much between the sides - it's international rugby and any one of the top 10 or 12 can beat each other.

''England played very well the last time we played them but I don't think that will have much bearing when we play them again in either the World Cup or in future Tests."

Watching the weather

With Australia blessed with a backline as slick if not better than any of their rivals, Sharpe is aware of how the different conditions in New Zealand will affect their ability to cut loose.

"I think that is a challenge for us as a team going forward, in that you have to be able to adapt to any weather pattern or conditions,'' he said.

''It is a slight concern for us but at the back of September, New Zealand will not be in the depth of winter that it is at the moment.

''Who knows what we will be playing in, but you can't rely on dry weather all the time."