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Thread: Wallabies team named to play South Africa

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    Wallabies team named to play South Africa

    The clearing of a number of injuries has allowed Australia to return almost in its entirety to the combination which opened its Rugby World Cup campaign, after the Wallabies side was announced today for Sunday’s quarter-final against South Africa in Wellington.

    Australia kicked off the tournament with a commanding 32-6 win over Italy and all of those starters apart from centre Anthony Fainga’a, who returns from injury via the bench, reappear in the run on list for this weekend’s sudden death encounter with the defending Rugby World Cup champions.

    Fullback Kurtley Beale, winger Digby Ioane and inside centre Pat McCabe all return, after coming off the injured list, amongst a raft of changes from the run on side which featured last Saturday when Australia out-classed a gallant Russia 68-22 in its final Pool C match in Nelson.

    Beale replaces injured winger Drew Mitchell, with James O’Connor relocating back to the right wing; McCabe steps in for Berrick Barnes, while Ioane resumes in the place of stand in Radike Samo, who relocates back to his favoured No 8 jersey.

    Samo’s return to the back of the scrum is one of five changes to last week’s forward pack, with flanker Rocky Elsom (bench), second row Dan Vickerman (rested), tighthead prop Ben Alexander (rested) and loosehead prop Sekope Kepu (bench) all reinstated.

    No 8 Ben McCalman, lock Nathan Sharpe, prop James Slipper and hooker Tatafu Polota Nau all drop to the bench while loose forward Scott Higginbotham has been omitted, with the versatile McCalman tagged to cover all three loose forward positions.

    The versatility amongst the Australian backline resources has also played its part in the make-up of the bench, with reserve halfback Luke Burgess joined by flyhalf/inside centre Barnes and proven midfielder Fainga’a among the back reserves, in a substitutes bench which features a traditional three-back, four-forward split.

    “We’ve gone with the players, and the combinations, which have served us best through the year to date,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says.

    “Obviously injury, and managing individual player work-loads, has been a factor in selection through the tournament so far, but fortunately a lot of the injury problems that we’ve had are now behind us. The players that are coming back into the team after breaks are good to go.”

    One of those is McCabe, who has overcome a sub-luxed shoulder, suffered after coming off the bench as a replacement during the 67-5 defeat of the United States of America in Wellington two weeks ago.

    Prior to the injury, which forced the 23-year-old to miss last weekend’s match, he had occupied the Wallabies inside centre position for seven consecutive Tests this year.

    This includes both of Australia’s previous Test wins over its quarter-final opponent.

    The full Australian backline for Sunday’s game is the same as that which featured when the Wallabies beat South Africa 14-9 in Durban two months ago en-route to the country’s first Tri Nations title in a decade.

    All but two of the starting forwards are also the same, with the differences being that Samo starts, after coming from the bench at King’s Park, while Vickerman takes over as the starting second row from Sharpe.

    While Australia boasts a good recent record against South Africa, Deans says results in the past are “irrelevant”.

    “All that matters is Sunday. The winner goes on, the loser goes home. Taking comfort from previous games is the quickest path way to the airport! The knock out phases of the World Cup are completely different to every other type of rugby we play: the stakes are higher, the intensity greater and the margins between success and failure smaller. We’ve seen that to some extent already in the tournament through the key pool matches and you can pretty much guarantee that it will all only intensify from here.”

    Deans has previous coaching at experience at the tournament, having been the coaching coordinator of an All Black side that finished third in 2003 – New Zealand’s best World Cup return since the All Blacks were beaten in the 1995 final.

    New Zealand eliminated South Africa 29-9 in Melbourne in the quarter-finals of that event, which rates as South Africa’s most recent defeat in Rugby World Cup, after the Springbok class of 2007 went through that tournament unbeaten.

    “South Africa still has the core group from the last World Cup together. They know what it takes to be successful in knockout rugby and know how to close out the tight games,” Deans says.

    “They’ve already shown that in this tournament when they came from behind to beat Wales by a point [17-16]. They have a group which has the knowledge and belief that it can get things done. They will bring that mentality forward with them on Sunday. If we are going to earn the right to advance to the next round, we have to match it.”

    The match will be refereed by Bryce Lawrence of New Zealand.

    The Wallabies team to play South Africa in the third quarter-final at the Rugby World Cup, at the Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday (kick-off: 6pm NZ time, 4pm AEDST) is:

    15. Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs)
    14. James O’Connor (Western Force)
    13. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies)
    12. Pat McCabe (Brumbies)
    11. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds)
    10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds)
    9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds)
    8. Radike Samo (Queensland Reds)
    7. David Pocock (Western Force)
    6. Rocky Elsom (Brumbies)
    5. James Horwill (Queensland Reds, captain)
    4. Dan Vickerman (NSW Waratahs)
    3. Ben Alexander (Brumbies)
    2. Stephen Moore (Brumbies)
    1. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs)

    Run on Reserves:
    16. Tatafu Polota Nau (NSW Waratahs)
    17. James Slipper (Queensland Reds)
    18. Nathan Sharpe (Western Force)
    19. Ben McCalman (Western Force)
    20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs)
    21. Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs)
    22. Anthony Fainga’a (Queensland Reds)


    Australia v South Africa – Historical Notes

    • This will be the 77th meeting between Australia and South Africa at all venues. Australia has won 31 and South Africa 44, while one match has been drawn.
    • The two teams have opposed each other twice previously at Rugby World Cup, splitting the results. South Africa beat Australia 27-18 at Cape Town in 1995 in what was the country’s maiden World Cup match. Australia returned the favour four years later, edging the Springboks 27-21 in extra time in London to eliminate the defending champions from the 1999 tournament, which Australia went on to win.
    • The 1999 defeat was the first suffered by South Africa in a World Cup match, and one of only three the Springboks have sustained at the tournament, being followed by losses to England (pool) and New Zealand (quarter-final) at the 2003 event in Australia.
    • Wallabies coach Robbie Deans was co-coach of the New Zealand side which beat South Africa 29-9 at Melbourne in 2003 to eliminate the Springboks in the quarter-finals of the fifth Rugby World Cup.
    • Australia, which has competed at all seven Rugby World Cups, and South Africa, which is attending its fifth tournament, are the only two nations to have twice been crowned as Rugby World Cup winners.
    • Sunday’s match is the 39th to be played by the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup, and Australia’s seventh quarter-final. The Wallabies have won 31 of their matches at the tournament, and four of their six previous quarter-finals, with the losses at that stage of the tournament being sustained against England in 1995 and 2007.
    • Adam Ashley-Cooper is the only surviving starting back from Australia’s 2007 quarter-final against England, while Rocky Elsom, Dan Vickerman and Stephen Moore remain from among the run on forward pack. Bench players Berrick Barnes and Nathan Sharpe also featured four years ago at Marseilles where Australia exited the tournament following a 10-12 defeat.

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    I am about to explode with anger and disbelieve!

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    Immortal jargan83's Avatar
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    I would have thought Vickerman and Sharpe would be the other way around

    Don't get me started on that plodder Pat McCabe

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    Immortal Contributor The InnFORCEr's Avatar
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    Ditto

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    Champion MI5_Dog's Avatar
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    to my mind it all depends on when Deans sends the reserves in. The starting line up is strong defensively but should allow for counter attack. With the reserves on (especially Barnes) we become a good attacking team.
    If we keep the Boks from getting a lead in the first 40 we can use the second half to win it.

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    Legend Contributor blueandblack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by travelling_gerry View Post
    ....
    • This will be the 77th meeting between Australia and South Africa at all venues. Australia has won 31 and South Africa 44, while one match has been drawn.
    .....
    1) Um....numbers don't add up. What happened in the missing game? Is this a Bret Harris item?
    2) Sharpe needs to be in run-on team, not off the bench.

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    (formerly known as Coach) Your Humble Servant Darren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blueandblack View Post
    1) Um....numbers don't add up. What happened in the missing game? Is this a Bret Harris item?
    This will be the 77th meeting between Australia and South Africa at all venues. Australia has won 31 and South Africa 44, while one match has been drawn.
    31 + 44 + 1 + this match = 77

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    Senior Player BaldCunus's Avatar
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    “We’ve gone with the players, and the combinations, which have served us best through the year to date,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says.

    That just proves to me Deans has no idea what he is talking about... Has he simply forgotten Irish game with Mcabe getting smashed? Has he forgotten the stand out performances of Sharpe and Barnes in the last two games when finally given a chance to start?

    And the way Deans uses his bench Sharpe, Barnes and co will get approx 5mins on the ground.

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    Immortal Contributor jono's Avatar
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    Fuck you bob. Seriously, fuck you
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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Sharpe needs to build u p a head of steam, he's a big unit and needs 80 minutes to do his best work, Vickerman can punch Danie and abuse the ref inside five minutes, that assignment is the wrong way around.

    I'd also say McCabe and Barnes are the wrong way round but McCabe shouldn't even be in the 22 He should be replaced by a speedy outside back for when the big Yarpies are tired in the last 20!

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    C'mon the

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    Legend Contributor blueandblack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coach View Post
    31 + 44 + 1 + this match = 77
    Note to self: coffee first, post later.

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    I don't think any of us agree with it but it is done now.

    At least he picked Sharpie on the bench ahead of Simmons and Barnes is on there so can easily be brought on early if we are having problems.

    I think we really need Samo and Elsom to lift their games. Pocock can't take on the whole South African backrow, actually he can but shouldn't have to.

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    Champion Shaun's Avatar
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    Honestly I am fuming that Mcabe is in the #22 let alone starting at #12... that to me really makes it hard for us to win this game. Why is Higginbotham not ever given the chance he deserves? Elsom better bloody lift.

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    Hopefully the game plan is to defend with Digby at 10 and McCabe at 12 with Cooper fullback and then on attack Cooper at 10, O'Connor at 12 with McCabe on the wing. That way we will still have two ball players

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    Champion zed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shaun View Post
    Honestly I am fuming that Mcabe is in the #22 let alone starting at #12... that to me really makes it hard for us to win this game.
    I don't really see we've got a choice.

    Barnes isn't match fit and in all honesty I'd imagine with his history of concussions etc I'd imagine he will be retiring in the next few years. Deans is probably conscious of this and reluctant to have 110kg Boks running at him for 80mins. It's going to be a tight game and perhaps bringing Barnes on with 20mins to go is a shrewd move.

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