RWC: Ben Arous admits trepidation ahead of Cudmore encounter

Nick Purewal 04:12 01/10/2015
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  • Introvert: Ben Arous.

    Philippe Saint-Andre hailed him as “a lion” and yet France prop Eddy Ben Arous has still admitted trepidation at taking on Canada enforcer Jamie Cudmore.

    Head coach Saint-Andre believes Racing Metro’s Ben Arous is fast establishing himself as France’s first-choice loosehead prop.

    The 25-year-old likes to cut a low profile but accepted that any clash with Clermont’s evergreen lock Cudmore comes with its drawbacks.

    “When you don’t see him coming and he gets you in the ribs, yes, he can be scary,” said Ben Arous of 37-year-old hardman Cudmore. “After that, you don’t really feel like getting back in there.” 

    However fiendish France may find Cudmore’s unique brand of tight-five play, Les Bleus remain firm favourites for tonight’s Pool D clash in Milton Keynes. Saint-Andre revealed his huge faith in Ben Arous despite his misgivings on facing Cudmore.

    “Eddy is rather introverted,” said Saint-Andre. “He has a very quiet, yet exceptional voice. On the field he’s like a lion. We want competitive spirits on the field and he’s really one of those.

    “He feels good about himself, is very appreciated by the group and has been working very hard. He is our starting prop.”

    Defeat would confirm Canada’s inability to progress to the quarterfinals, following losses to Ireland and Italy.

    Head coach Kieran Crowley again refused to blame scheduling for his side’s shortcomings, but accepted he had had to alter selection due to the punishing timescales.

    “We played Italy five days ago and we have another game in another five days, so we are basically playing three games in 10 days and there are some players that have had a big workload,” said Canada boss Crowley.

    “It was about managing them and putting out the team we consider to have the best chance for us to win this game. That’s the biggest challenge when you have short turnarounds, the mental side.”

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