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.....One Moore chance for misfiring rake
Greg Growden in Cape Town Chief Rugby
Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore will be warned to pick up his line-out accuracy so that Australia do not fall victim to the Victor Matfield factor in Saturday's Tri Nations opener at Newlands.
So concerned have the Wallabies selectors been about Moore's throwing in the past two Tests that after the Fiji international in Perth last Saturday, they had Adam Freier pencilled in for the Springboks clash.
However, the Wallabies are understood to have had a late re-think on the hooking situation on Monday and are now expected to start with Moore, because he provides far more bulk to counter a monster Springboks pack.
Freier's Test chances have always been handicapped by him being the smallest of the representative hookers in Australia. However, his excellent line-out throwing and high work rate against Fiji in Perth last Saturday drew praise from selectors.
Moore hardly helped his cause after replacing Freier in the last 22 minutes at Subiaco Oval, when his line-out throwing, for the second time in a row, was astray.
The Springboks Test may well revolve more around line-outs than scrums and Moore's accuracy will be crucial - especially with the opposition including the likes of Matfield, the world's best second-rower.[EDIT: So of course you have to put in a player who can't do his job properly. Genius]
The presence Matfield brings to a game was emphasised by former Springboks coach Nick Mallett, who recently described him as "the best player I've ever seen in the modern line-out - a pure genius".
Wallabies coach John Connolly has often looked past Freier when selecting a hooker, as shown by the NSW stalwart missing last year's end-of-season tour to Europe. But Connolly was most enthused by his effort against Fiji. Nonetheless, Moore is expected to join Guy Shepherdson and The Dunning to make up the Test front row.
Time is also running out for another Waratah to force his way into the 30-man World Cup squad. Although Lachlan Turner was the standout speedster of the Super 14, his sternum injury could not have come at a worse time.
The Wallabies plan to take three wingers and two fullbacks to the World Cup, and there are too many players jostling for too few positions.
While Lote Tuqiri is one World Cup wing certainty, Drew Mitchell, who originally did not have the support of all the Wallabies selectors, has certainly improved his chances with workmanlike performances on the wing in all three Tests so far.
Mark Gerrard is running third on the list, with any false moves at this stage potentially costly.[EDIT: Damn you Mark Gerrard, damn you to hell]
As Connolly said on Monday: "Nobody can really afford to have a bad game."
The Wallabies arrived in Cape Town on Monday, encouraged they will again play a Test at sea-level after recent traumatic years having to cope with the altitude of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
But the players, who were confronted with a torrential storm on arrival in the Cape, are not exactly saying that this will give them a big leg-up - especially as they have not won here since 1992, suffering losses in 1995, 1999 and 2003.
Even playing at Newlands can intimidate. Wallabies five-eighth Stephen Larkham explained: "Newlands is a very special stadium to play at, and to beat the Springboks there is one of the more difficult of assignments.
"It is one of the best rugby grounds in the world. I think it is probably the loudest, and the Newlands crowd is very passionate about their rugby. At Super 14 level, we have a pretty good record there. The Waratahs have a good record there, and the Brumbies a decent record there."
George Gregan agreed that playing at Newlands was a difficult experience, but he rated the loudest ground as the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
- Cape Town: The South African Rugby Union has launched an internal investigation into the conduct of the Springboks coach, Jake White, following an incident in a Johannesburg pub, Reuters reports.
White was involved in a late-night argument with a journalist over a newspaper's coverage of the Springboks' season.
"Jake White is not being grilled as has been suggested, but we have launched an internal investigation," SARU manager of national teams Andy Marinos told reporters.
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