The Wallabies would be ‘silly’ not to target Argentinian number 8 Facundo Isa, if he lines up for the Pumas on Sunday morning (AEDT), forward Dean Mumm says.
Isa suffered a leg injury in the back end of Argentina’s most recent defeat to the All Blacks, leaving him in doubt for this weekend’s twickenham clash, but if he plays, he will be enemy number one.
The 23-year-old has been a revelation for the Pumas through the Rugby Championship, leading the tournament in carries (85) and making the second-most metres (361), behind All Blacks winger Julian Savea (378).
His attacking prowess is a symptom of the Pumas’ newly free-flowing game, heavy on offloads and Isa’s ball-playing ability makes him a major threat for the Wallabies.
Mumm said the emerging talent would certainly be in the sights of the Wallabies at Twickenham.
“He's a terrific ball carrier in the way he gets himself involved to carry, that’s certainly a key aspect of his game,” he said.
“It'd be silly not to have some sort of aim or target on him.”
Isa's individual weapons bring the rest of the Pumas out of their shells, Mumm said, and shutting him down would be critical for Australia.
“He's by no means the only threat in this Argentinian side - the way he carries and offloads, presents threats everywhere else as well.
“The amount of numbers and consequently the amount of metres he's had, he's a top quality ball player.
“If you want to stop momentum, then he's a key person.”
Wallabies prop Tom Robertson said the scrum would be his key focus against Los Pumas but it wouldn’t be the only dangerous element in the match.
“They've always been renowned for their scrum,” he said.
“They've developed more facets of their game nowadays but they're still a dominant force in that area so we'll definitely have to look after that.”
The Wallabies take on Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday at 5:30am (AEDT). Tickets at http://ticketmaster.co.uk
