Australian Speedway World Cup Team Manager, Craig Boyce, has heaped praise on the performance of his riders after they booked their place in the 2007 FIM Speedway World Cup final.

After watching his squad narrowly defeat Poland to become the third team through to the final, Boyce was breathing a sigh of relief that he had taken the strong Aussie line-up into the final-four.

Speaking after he had the chance to celebrate the victory with his team, Boyce’s relief was abundantly evident.

“I’m just so happy after all the pressure leading up to this, that we’ve made it through to the final,” he said.

“It’s just an unbelievable feeling to win and get the edge over Poland for the final.”

At the half-way point of the meeting, competition between the Aussies, Poles and Swedes was tight, and Boyce took his team aside for a quick chat where he asked the riders to dig deep and put in a special effort.

“We had a little team chat and said that each rider had two heats left to go at the interval, and I just asked for the guys to put in two good rides

“We had the edge and we kept the edge all the way through the meeting, and it was the quality riders like Jason Crump, Leigh Adams and Ryan Sullivan who really shone.

Boyce was quick to heap praise on Chris Holder, who is fast making a name for himself as the next big Aussie thing in Speedway.

“Chris Holder is just a kid, it’s his second year riding in England in the Premier League, and he comes and turns it on against these guys. 

“What an ability this guy has got.”

With concern over the form of Rory Schlein, Boyce now has the difficult task of selecting the line-up for the final, and he was quick to point out that depending on tomorrow’s practise sessions, he may make a change.

“Rory battled – he struggled all night, but he came good in his last ride.

“It is a concern and we’re going to come down for practise again tomorrow, and iron out a few things. 

“Maybe I might make a change for the final, but I’ll wait and see.”