AUSTRALIA team boss Craig Boyce believes teenage sensation Darcy Ward has the cool character to handle the huge weight of expectation.

Pirates legend Boyce is backing the Poole hotshot to keep his feet on the ground as he continues to make the headlines.

Ward will line up for Boyce’s Aussies as they bid to reach Saturday’s World Cup final via tonight’s race-off in Gorzow.

The world under-21 champion stamped his authority on Event One of the showpiece competition last weekend with 13 points, although his team had to settle for third place behind Denmark and Sweden.

That latest effort from Ward followed a series of show-stopping performances in Pirates colours this summer.

Boyce, a Wimborne Road hero and Poole’s all-time leading points scorer, told the Daily Echo: “Darcy is pretty level headed. He is young but he has got his head screwed on.

“I think he is dealing with everything quite well and progressing pretty fast.

“He is just learning his trade and is going to get better and better. He has exceptional ability on the bike so he is very lucky.”

Boyce says Australia are fortunate to have Ward and Poole number one Chris Holder in their ranks, as well as experienced Pirates captain Davey Watt, who is understood to be in line for promotion to his team’s one-to-five tonight.

Australia will take on Great Britain, Sweden and Russia in the race-off, with plenty of speculation surrounding the potential Russian line-up.

Grand Prix star Emil Sayfut-dinov was missing from Mon-day’s Event Two at King’s Lynn, as were Artem and Grigory Laguta who could not obtain visas to enter Britain, which left Russia with just four riders.

But Russia are reportedly keen to secure the return of Sayfutdinov and the Laguta brothers for the race-off as they bid to boost their chances in Poland this evening.

Boyce added: “I have heard a few things here and there, through the grapevine, but I am not sure exactly what Russia are going to do and whether or not they are going to strengthen.

“But it doesn’t really bother us. We don’t focus on the other teams at all. We will just get there and do our own job.

“We are going for the win. We’re confident and everything is good.”

Boyce said he had yet to finalise his own team and when asked if Pirates captain Watt would come into his thinking, he replied: “I’m not sure yet. We will wait and see how practice goes.”