Time to shine: Habana v O'Connor
Related links
Teams
Also see
Australia get a second bite at the cherry in ending their Highveld hoodoo when they tackle South Africa in Bloemfontein on Saturday, with the tournament wooden spoon still very much on the line.
The visitors currently sit last on the Tri-Nations table but have a game in hand over the second-placed Springboks, who ran them down to win 44-31 last weekend at Loftus Versfeld.
In a match in which tackles were missed rather than made, the embattled Springboks ground their noses over the finish line ahead of a Wallaby team short of finesse. The result also kept Australia's abysmal record at altitude (they have not won in 47 years) intact.
They could and should have won their last outing and now face South Africa for the second time in a week at altitude, however last week's Loftus experience will hold Australia in good stead for Saturday.
A week is a long time in Test rugby to make the wrongs right, and whilst the Springboks will probably be better at Vodacom Park, so will the Wallabies - especially if they manage to hang on to the ball.
Both of Australia's set pieces didn't perform in the way they wanted to, with the line-outs particularly in need of some urgent attention this week. Twice in the final quarter, Australia put the ball deep into Springbok territory just a few yards from their line. But Victor Matfield and company performed admirably to steal two crucial Wallaby throw-ins and ruin those attacking platforms.
That the Wallabies only managed to score three points in the second half after running up a 21-7 lead in the opening fifteen minutes must also be a worry for coach Robbie Deans, whose side lacked the composure and authority to finish the Boks off.
But this Aussie bunch are far from the finished article when you think of the number of key players missing.
Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Wycliff Palu, Digby Ioane and James Horwill - all first-choice players, all injured. The Australians have been pretty competitive but without being full strength which has got to be a positive heading into this clash.
On the other end of the scale, you've got a full-strength Springbok side who are clearly not the team they used to be a year out from their World Cup defence and alarm bells are ringing loudly in the Republic.
A captain that's clearly over the hill, a coach that continues to cause controversy and players playing that shouldn't be - either through a bad patch of form or fatigue - spells trouble a year out from rugby's biggest event and they ain't got much time to get it fixed.
John Smit - one of the true leaders of the game - must surely realise what's best for the team he's served so valiantly and step aside for younger, fresher legs. Arguably, nobody can ever match his leadership skills but there are a few hookers out there that can do everything else a lot better. His play at the set pieces has been uncharacteristically patchy, while Smit's contribution in open play has been negligible.
Chiliboy Ralepelle can feel deeply hard done by at not starting this weekend. Smit's understudy put in a commanding performance off the bench last week but one feels it was his captain's under-par performance that made Ralepelle look even better.
Gio Aplon is another player that won't be happy warming pine in Bloem. It was obvious Francois Steyn left his game behind in France and never raised his game to the dizzy heights one has come to expect. But perhaps with the cobwebs now dusted off, Steyn can still prove he was worth all the fuss.
And then there's Peter de Villiers. Last week, the Springbok victory earned their under-fire coach a reprieve but his three-year reign could come to a premature end following his latest controversial remarks regarding accused murderer and Bulls prop Bees Roux.
It seems this is the final straw for his SARU bosses, and if reports are correct, the country's first black coach could be out of a job on Sunday - whether the Boks win or lose. If so, the search will be on for South Africa's eleventh Bok coach since they were readmitted to international rugby in 1992.
Of course this is just another typical sideshow distraction the Boks can do without. And with South Africa's captain, coach and a certain players' futures on the line - the battle in Bloemfontein is shaping up to be the best chance for the Wallabies to pounce.
Ones to watch:
For South Africa: All eyes will be on superstar winger Bryan Habana on Saturday, and for all the wrong reasons. The former World Player of the Year is under fire over his form slide and was under pressure to hold his spot for this Bloemfontein encounter following a rather dismal outing last week. Habana has scored just eight tries in 29 Tests since coach Peter de Villiers took over, compared to 30 in 36 pre-2008. With the in-form Gio Aplon and promising Griquas flyer Bjorn Basson waiting in the wings - Habana knows it's time to deliver or else...
For Australia: A first start for number eight Ben McCalman - who has done well coming off the bench in both matches the Aussies have played against South Africa this season - has signalled the Wallabies' intentions to get more physical with their hosts. Not much is known of the Western Force player, who only played his first season of Super Rugby this year. But coach Robbie Deans believes he can bring the ball carrying ability he likes in a number eight and which has been known to hurt the Boks in the past.
Head to head: Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw v Nathan Sharpe and Mark Chisholm. The Australian line-out folded in Pretoria, giving up potent attacking opportunities thanks to four steals off their own throw. But Nathan Sharpe expressed his confidence earlier this week that they could match the Springbok line-out, spearheaded by Matfield, in Bloemfontein. The perception of many South Africans was that it was South Africa's line-out that made the difference in last week's win in Pretoria, and if the Wallabies can't remedy this set piece - it could be the same case again.
Previous results:
2010: South Africa won 44-31 in Pretoria
2010: Australia won 30-13 in Brisbane
2009: Australia won 21-6 in Brisbane
2009: South Africa won 32-25 in Perth
2009: South Africa won 29-17 in Cape Town
2008: South Africa won 53-8 in Johannesburg
2008: Australia won 27-15 in Durban
2008: Australia won 16-9 in Perth
2007: Australia won 25-17 in Sydney
2007: South Africa won 22-19 in Cape Town
2006: South Africa won 24-16 in Johannesburg
2006: Australia won 20-18 in Sydney
Prediction: Having come so close last week, the Wallabies will be itching for another crack at South Africa and we believe the holy grail of a win at altitude is achievable in Bloemfontein this weekend. Australia to win by three!
The teams:
South Africa: 15 Francois Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie , 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Gio Aplon.
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.
Date: Saturday, September 4
Venue: Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 17:00 (15:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor: Steve Hilditch (Ireland)
By Dave Morris
Comments
Be the first to comment on this story..