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Qantas Wallabies vs Springboks in Brisbane - Official Match Preview
July 23, 2010 - 9:55am
Story by: ARU
Quade Cooper loves playing at Suncorp
The first Bundaberg Red Tri-Nations clash on Australian soil on Saturday night in Brisbane (Kick off: 8.05pm AEST) has all the elements of a very tantalizing clash which could play out in two very different directions.
In scenario 1, which all Qantas Wallabies fans will be hoping for, the young Men of Gold play to their undoubted potential and in the joyous spirit of the Queensland Reds thrilling Investec Bank Super 14 performances in 2010, the rising stars run the World Champions off the park with a devastating combination of pace and skill.
In the other scenario, a desperate and hurting Springbok team eschew their safety first, kick dominated style of play that came unstuck in New Zealand in the first two matches of the series and selecting a team for a more mobile, ball-in-hand approach surprise the Wallabies with a display of attacking Rugby.
Which of these options will in the end come to the fore is anyone’s guess but there is much to suggest it will be the former. Saturday night represents a perfect opportunity for the Wallabies to kick off their 2010 Tri-Nations campaign with a win.
To say the Springboks preparation for the Brisbane clash has been disrupted, would be something of an understatement.
Before the tour key players like bullocking Sharks hooker Bismarck du Plessis and the world’s No.1 scrumhalf Fourie du Preez were already ruled out due to injury and the world champs were also unable to call upon freakishly talented fullback Frans Steyn, now playing his club Rugby in France, due to a management dispute.
The All Blacks took full advantage of the depleted green and gold line up, running them off their feet in the opening two Tests of the tournament, notching up a 32-12 (four tries to nil) victory in Auckland and a 31-17 (four tries to two) win in Wellington.
In the process the All Blacks (surprisingly) edged the Boks in the physicality stakes and gained some revenge for the 3-0 drubbing they experienced at the hands of South Africa last year.
Battered, bruised and exhausted from those two matches, South Africa hardly come in to Saturday night’s match with form on their side.
To make matters worse, two players – the incident prone Bakkies Botha and the rarely in trouble Jean de Villiers – headed home due to suspension and then rangy lock Andries Bekker, one of the best in this year’s Super 14, was ruled out through injury.
Livewire Springboks coach Peter de Villiers, who it can not be forgotten won the Tri-Nations, the world’s toughest international Rugby tournament, last year at just his second attempt breaking a four year domination by the All Blacks, has shuffled his pack quite dramatically and picked a nominally more mobile side for this weekend.
In total the Boks match 22 shows nine changes to the one that went down 17-31 against New Zealand in Wellington last week. There are four changes in the starting side and a further five on the bench.
Into the run on XV comes diminutive winger Gio Aplon, in place of the suspended de Villiers on the right wing and Ruan Pienaar is promoted to the starting line-up in place of Ricky Januarie, who was not at his best in New Zealand, at scrumhalf.
Up front, BJ Botha starts ahead of CJ van der Linde at tighthead prop, whilst Ryan Kankowski, the dynamic Sharks loose forward, is preferred to Francois Louw at flank.
The changes in the reserves see lock Flip van der Merwe in place of the injured Bekker, hard working Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter as cover for the backrow, Bulls back up No.9 Francois Hougaard in place of Pienaar and the elusive Juan de Jongh replacing the promoted Aplon. Januarie and Louw fall out of the match 22.
But what difference these changes will make to the Springboks performance is unknown.
The Boks have also alienated the officials by saying that the northern hemisphere referees who officiated the two Tests in New Zealand, interpreted the rules in favour of the All Blacks.
It was clear that Richie McCaw was allowed to influence the breakdown more than in the Super 14 and this may have been because the referees were not as strict in policing the new interpretation of allowing the tackled player to place the ball once they are tackled.
Or it may reflect the All Blacks beefed-up physicality in the pack. Either way, McCaw was peerless in the opening clashes.
And if the odds weren’t already stacking up against the Boks they arrive at what can be described as the Men of Gold’s favourite venue, a mythical place that Mount Morgan raised hooker Stephen Moore went as far to describe this week as their “spiritual home” – Suncorp Stadium.
Indeed if Robbie Deans was offered the chance to play all of the Wallabies games at Suncorp – he would probably take it, such is his team’s enviable record at the venue.
The Wallabies have lost just three of their 17 Tests at the former Lang Park in the professional era.
And as much as the Wallabies love playing here, the Springboks loathe it, with a dreadful 5-0 record at the ground, including the 49-0 hammering in 2006.
That was one of the darkest nights in the esteemed history of South African Rugby and a result that saw then coach Jake White almost suffer a nervous breakdown and narrowly escape getting sacked.
Last year the Wallabies pulled off a comprehensive upset 21-6 victory here over the Boks, their only win in the 2009 Tri-Nations, (one of the Men of Gold’s best performances of the year). There is no better place to start this year's tough campaign.
South Africans even hate playing here in the Super 14 with both 2010 finalists the Bulls (19-12) and Stormers (16-13) losing to the Queensland Reds.
As Moore so aptly put it: "History would say we play pretty well here.”
But the Wallabies preparations have also not been what you could describe as smooth sailing.
Patchy June form saw them comfortably account for Fiji in Canberra (49-3) and put in a superb performance against England in the first Test in Perth to win 27-17, full of sparkling attack and courageous, never-say-die defence.
But then inexplicably, which is a word we link too much with the Wallabies in recent years, they put in one of their worse performances in recent memory losing 21-20 in Sydney the following week, bringing up very painful memories of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final loss.
A modicum of respect was restored in the 22-15 victory over Brian O’Driscoll’s Ireland at Suncorp the following weekend but Wallabies fans can be excused for wondering which Men of Gold team will turn up this week.
The one that attacks with devastating speed and defends heroically, that plays as a unit with precision and polish. Or the disorganized grab-bag that occasionally produces a moment of Quade Cooper inspired genius.
It’s enough to make Deans take his speed boat and head back to the New Zealand gorges.
The Wallabies should be stronger on Saturday night with the return in the front row stocks of the always consistent Benn Robinson at prop and Moore himself in a back up hooking role to the impressive young Reds rake, Saia Faingaa.
Former Reds stalwart Nathan Sharpe is back at lock and the combination of Will Genia at scrumhalf and Cooper at flyhalf will also relish the chance to re-create their extraordinary Super 14 performances.
In another sign of a more physical approach, blockbusting young Western Force backrower Ben McCalman comes in for the injured Matt Hodgson among the reserves.
Adam Ashley-Cooper and Nudgee College educated James O’Connor have swapped wing-fullback roles with Ashley-Cooper’s strength under the Morne Steyn high balls certain to be an asset.
The much unfairly maligned Drew Mitchell will also get a chance to show what he can do. As one Rugby guru commented recently: “It’s the old story, when the forwards don’t perform blame a winger.” Mitchell seems to have been the focus of that unwarranted blame in recent weeks.
With the resurgent All Blacks waiting in Melbourne next week, this is a match that the Wallabies need to win.
They need to start consolidating that often glimpsed and clearly undoubted potential into high quality 80 minute performances, which if they are maintained will literally blow other teams off the park - as Deans’ Crusader combinations did for so many years in Super Rugby.
The Wallabies fans are ready and waiting and what better platform than Suncorp Stadium to launch their march to much dreamed of 2011 Rugby World Cup glory.
It’s over to you Men of Gold. We still believe.
The Qantas Wallabies team to play South Africa in the Bundaberg Red Tri Nations and Mandela Trophy Test at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane on Saturday 24 July, 8.05pm kick off (AEST), is:
15. Adam Ashley Cooper (Brumbies), 14. James O'Connor (Western Force), 13. Rob Horne (NSW Waratahs), 12. Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 11. Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs), 10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds), 9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds), 8. Richard Brown (Western Force), 7. David Pocock (Western Force), 6. Rocky Elsom (Brumbies, captain), 5. Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), 4. Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs), 3. Salesi Ma'afu (Brumbies), 2. Saia Fainga (Queensland Reds), 1. Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs)
Run on reserves: 16. Stephen Moore (Brumbies), 17. James Slipper (Queensland Reds), 18. Rob Simmons (Queensland Reds), 19. Matt Hodgson (Western Force), 20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs), 21. Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs) 22. Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs)
Springboks
15 Zane Kirchner (Bulls – 9 caps), 14 Gio Aplon (Stormers – 6 caps), 13 Jaque Fourie (Stormers- 59 caps), 12 Wynand Oliver (Bulls- 31 caps), 11 Bryan Habana (Stormers - 62 caps), 10 Morné Steyn (Bulls – 17 caps), 9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks- 42 caps), 8 Pierre Spies (Bulls - 33 caps), 7 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks – 14 caps), 6 Schalk Burger (Stormers - 59 caps), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls – 97 caps), 4 Danie Rossouw (Bulls – 50 caps), 3 BJ Botha (Ulster, Ireland – 24 caps), 2 John Smit (Sharks, captain– 98 caps), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp (Bulls – 27 caps).
Reserves: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle (Bulls – 14 caps), 17 CJ van der Linde (Cheetahs – 61 caps), 18 Flip van der Merwe (Bulls – 2 caps), 19 Dewald Potgieter (Bulls – 5 caps), 20 Francois Hougaard (Bulls – 1 cap), 21 Butch James (Bath, UK – 39 caps), 22 Juan de Jongh (Stormers – 4 caps)
Date: Saturday, July 24
Kick-off: 20:00 (AEST)
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official: Matt Goddard (Australia)
Assessor: Steve Hilditch
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/wallabi.../section/21893
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Originally Posted by MI5_Dog
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