The Wallabies have paid tribute to outgoing scrum coach Mike Cron as coach Joe Schmidt praised his transformation on the side's scrum.
While the attention rightfully sits with James Slipper as the prop prepares to depart the Test arena, Saturday's second Bledisloe Test will mark the Kiwi's last game with the Wallabies as he heads back into retirement.
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He is set to be replaced by former Brumbies hooker John Ulugia, who has quickly made a name for himself as a forwards coach in the nation's capital.
Cron's influence has been massive within the Wallabies group since the relationship began as a simple talent ID message to Schmidt, the two having known each other for close to two decades.
"He actually messaged me when I got announced as taking over the Wallabies coaching job and said there were a couple of guys over here in Perth, I think they might be alright in the future, Jeremy Williams and Will Harris. I looked at the text and rang him and said 'You like the look of those boys? How about you come and help me coach them' so that interview lasted three seconds and I dragged him out of retirement," Schmidt detailed about getting Cron on board.
"He's gold. He's absolute gold. You could talk to any of the front rowers that he's adopted. He's fantastic glue in the environment and got that vast knowledge, that depth of knowledge, understands all the biomechanics of the scrum, all the tricks of the trade.
"...He's a great bloke as well. I don't know if you've ever had the chance to talk scrums with Mike Cron. You won't understand any of it, but his enthusiasm will blow you away.
Cron's work has been evident throughout the Rugby Championship, with the Wallabies entering the final round of the competition having not lost a scrum yet.
"I think he's been a massive part of making our scrum a lot more stable and even formidable at times, where we can even impose ourselves," Schmidt believes.
"I think he's got the real confidence of not just the front row, he's very much imbued in the whole eight, insofar as delivering at scrum time.
Prop Allan Alaalatoa has been around more scrums than most, but even he marvels at what Cron has been able to teach the tight-head.
"I think he's been awesome for us, obviously through his experience and his knowledge that he's brought throughout last year and into this year. If anything, he's instilled that knowledge into the players to now be able to help self-coach each other," Alaalatoa explained.
"I think that's probably been the best thing about Connor. He has a really simple approach in how he coaches and how he delivers messages, but it's always on point. Everything he does is always to the point, and it's done with purpose.
"I think, especially for me being a tight end, I've been grateful to be able to have him as my scrum coach over the last couple of years, to be able to pick his brain through the experiences that he's been through over the last 250 plus tests."
