Australia target injury-hit Wales; England face Boks challenge

CARDIFF: Australia will bring their topsy-turvy season to a close against a ‘bruised’ Wales on Saturday, hoping to improve on their ill-discipline and kick off their atacking shackles in a bid to avoid an unwanted record.

The Wallabies arrived in the United Kingdon on the back of five consecutive victories, but Dave Rennie’s team then suffered a 15-13 defeat by Scotland before going down 32-15 to the English last week. The later match saw the Australians penalised 22 times. A loss to Wales would leave Australia winless on their European autumn tour for the first time since 1976.

“It’s the fable of the man who built the house on sand,” Australia fly-half James O’connor said of where his team were mentally. If you don’t have the correct discipline and if your foundations aren’t strong, then you won’t win Test-match footy, especially up here. The margins for error are so small.

Games between the two sides tend to be close. Between 2009-17, Australia ran out winners 13 times straight before Wales broke that run with a 9-6 win in Cardiff in 2018.

Most recently, Wales beat the Wallabies 29-25 in a thriller at the 2019 World Cup in Japan and are seeking a third successive victory over Australia.

“We feel we’ve had a good year and we’ve really built this year, so we want to show the public what we can do,” added O’connor, who made his debut almost 10 years to the day in the Welsh capital.

Coach Rennie received a boost with news that tighthead props Taniela Tupou and Allan Alaalatoa had both made full recoveries from injury for the Wales game. Loosehead prop James Slipper will captain the side for just the second time in the absence of the injured Michael Hooper.

JONES ANGRY: Eddie Jones believes any ideas South Africa have regarding a ‘weak’ England pack will be misplaced when the teams meet at Twickenham on Saturday.

The last match of the year for both sides will also be the first time they have met since South Africa overwhelmed England 32-12 in the 2019 World Cup final in Japan.

But England coach Jones was in bullish mood ahead of a fresh confrontation with a fearsome Springbokpackandtheworldchampions’renowned ‘Bomb Squad’ of replacement front-row forwards.

And that’s despite injuries and Covid-19 meaning England novices Bevan Rodd and Jamie Blamire will pack down in a front row featuring experienced prop Kyle Sinckler -- with Joe Marler on the bench as the seasoned loosehead is only expected to come out of self-isolation on Thursday.