Confident Boks to put Wallabies to the test
AUSTRALIA’S Wallabies face an acid test against the rejuvenated Springboks in the Rugby Championship on Saturday (at 3pm Cambodian time) to gauge whether theyhey are on the rise after taking thee All Blacks to the limit.
The world champion mpion New Zealanders had to pull out all the stops to overcome come Australia 35-29 with a try two minutes from time in Dunedin a fortnight ago. The e Wallabies have already ady lost the trans-Tasman an Bledisloe Cup series, es, but take on the regenenerated Springboks in Per t h, wit h t he e South Africans yet t to lose in 2017.
Fly-half Bernard d Fo l e y ( p i c t u r e d , AFP) said every mem- ber of the Wallabies’ squad knew the importance of not undoing all their good work from Dunedin against the South Africans. “I think that’s p probably been a hurdle of Wallaby teams in the past, is not being abl able to be consistent,” Foley said. “We’ve“W definitely spoken [about] t that and challenged every player to go up a level from where he was in Dunedin.” Whi While the Springboks have vanquished Argentin tina and France over f i vev inter nationals t this year they have not beaten the Wallabies in Australia since their 38-12 romp in Brisbane in 2013. It has been a torrid year for Austra lia, winning on only t wo of t heir f ive internationa ls and coming off a miserable Super Rugby season climaxed by the contentious a x ing of the Perthbased Western Force from next year’s competition.
Cheika makes four changes
There have been reports that the Perth rugby public may boycott the Test on Saturday as a way of protesting against the Australian Rugby Union’s vexed decision to cull the Force, or wear their blue Western Force jerseys instead of the Wallabies’ gold.
“Playing in your home town in front of your club team fans and Wallaby fans, it’s a very special occasion,” Wallabies and Force lock Adam Coleman said. “The fans in Western Australia are amazing. I’m sure they’ll turn out in numbers.”
The Wallabies are looking to stifle the Springboks playmaker and fly-half Elton Jantjies, who has been impressive in his team’s two wins over Argentina so far in the Rugby Championship.
“For us shutting him down is not allowing him momentum, doing the job up front, pushing him backwards and that probably takes down his time and space,” Foley said of his opposite number.
Scrum-half Ross Cronje has overcome an ankle injury and partners Jantjies with Francois Hougaard dropping back to the reserves.
In the only other change to the starting team, Pieter-Steph du Toit comes in at lock for Franco Mostert.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika made four changes to his starting XV with Tatafu Polota-Nau at hooker, Sekope Kepu at tight-head prop, Adam Coleman at lock and Reece Hodge on the left wing.
In the day’s other Rugby Championship clash, New Zealand host Argentina in New Plymouth (2:45pm).