BEN Alexander's emergence as a world-class tight-head prop will not sway his coaches at the ACT Brumbies, who insist Alexander will return to loose-head for next year's Super 14 season.
Since replacing the long-serving Al Baxter in the Wallabies No3, Alexander has steadily claimed a hold on what was an unfamiliar position to him just months ago.
Along with Test loose-head Benn Robinson, Alexander helped the Wallabies pack monster the well-regarded Irish pack at Croke Park last Monday in a front-eight performance coach Robbie Deans described as ''magnificent''.
''I've never seen it go better than that,'' Deans said.
While Deans would almost certainly want to see Alexander building on his tight-head skills at Super 14 level next year, Brumbies scrum coach Bill Young bluntly dismissed the idea.
''He'll be playing loose-head. That's his position,'' Young said.
''They're the Wallabies and we're the Brumbies. They've got him pinned as a tight-head, we've got him pinned as a loose-head.''
Brumbies coach Andy Friend was more expansive on the subject, but he was just as reluctant to see Alexander propping at tight-head next season.
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