Hynes out to protect his jersey
Wallabies newcomer Peter Hynes is feeling the pressure of Test rugby as he looks to cement his place in the Australia starting line-up with a good run against the French in Sydney on Saturday.
Wallabies newcomer Peter Hynes is feeling the pressure of Test rugby as he looks to cement his place in the Australia starting line-up with a good run against the French in Sydney on Saturday.
Hynes rewarded Robbie Deans' faith in selecting him with an impressive showing on debut against the Irish two weeks ago in Melbourne.
The Reds try-scorer impressed so much that he will again keep Adam Ashley-Cooper and Ryan Cross on the bench for the weekend's Test against France while Drew Mitchell, Lachie Turner, Timana Tahu, Mark Gerrard and Digby Ioane turn out for Australia A against Fiji.
If that's not enough, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans this week warned all of his players they risked being dropped if they didn't perform. And the 25-year-old is under no illusions ahead of his second Test appearance.
“You're always under pressure to perform whether it's for your state, club or wherever,” Hynes told Sportal.
“Especially here (with the Wallabies) we're always under pressure and you've got to expect that and embrace it.
“I go out there to play for myself and my country and play well.
“I guess they're (Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper) doing the same thing, they're trying to get in the team and I'm trying to stay here.
“As I said before the pressure's always on and I'm just going out there and going to do what I do.”
Hynes revealed he would play a similar role to fellow winger Lote Tuqiri on who has been given a roving commission against the dangerous French.
“As a winger you tend to get a fair bit of freedom, you can pop up wherever you want and hopefully get more involved so that's a positive,” said Hynes.
“Robbie is a very big believer on playing what's in front of you so if there's space there we're going to take it.”
With over half of the French players used in the recent Six Nations campaign unavailable to tour due to club duties, Hynes believes the tourist's unpredictability could prove their greatest asset.
Hynes will be watching 24-year-old, twice-capped Benjamin Thiery.
But the laid-back Queenslander is prepared to trust his natural instincts rather than over analyse coach Marc Lièvremont's men.
“I believe you can do too much homework whereas on the wing if you're guy's going to take you on the outside too much and you over read that then he'll take you on the inside,” said Hynes.
“A lot of it's just spur of the moment and you just read what's in front of you and I'm going into this game with that mindset.”