All Blacks legend: ‘Springboks were chasing Wallabies shadows’
Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth and an inset of ex-All Black Jeff Wilson.
Former All Blacks winger Jeff Wilson was left surprised by the Springboks’ inability to suffocate the Wallabies in round one of the Rugby Championship.
Rassie Erasmus’ men scored three quick tries through Kurt-Lee Arendse, Andre Esterhuizen and Siya Kolisi to lead 22-0 after 20 minutes, but failed to capitalise on that dominance and shut the Wallabies out as they collapsed to a 38-22 defeat.
In the build-up to the game, there were questions raised over South Africa’s readiness after playing Italy and Georgia in July, while Australia came into the fixture off the back of a gruelling three-match Test series against the British and Irish Lions.
Still, many predicted that the Springboks would emerge victorious with the Wallabies expected to struggle with the altitude in Johannesburg, but that ultimately hit the hosts more.
Springboks were gassed
Speaking on Sky Sports NZ’s Breakdown show, Wilson was surprised by the lack of intensity of the Springboks players in the latter stages of the Test match as Joe Schmidt’s men ran amok.
“You two [Justin Marshall and Mils Muliaina] mentioned last week that you thought the Springboks could be underdone after the two Tests against Italy and one against Georgia,” Wilson said on the Breakdown.
“Then they went into this Test with a number of injuries and they got some of their selections wrong. Siya Kolisi was playing at number eight. He gets injured, they didn’t have their traditional 6-2 split – no Bomb Squad to come on – and they looked gassed in the second half.
“There are a lot of players walking there, and you’re not used to seeing that from a Springboks side; they usually suffocate teams. Well, they were the team who were chasing shadows by the end of that game.”
While it was a resounding defeat, Wilson expects the Boks to brush themselves off and respond.
“To me, they will learn really quickly; they have got a DNA, but those conditions hurt them,” he added.
“So, it’s a question of whether or not, when they come here [New Zealand], if they can control the Test match like they have in the past. They didn’t control that Test match at any point.”
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James O’Connor praised
While the Boks lacked control in the Rugby Championship opener, the Wallabies were marshalled around the pitch by their experienced half-back pairing of Nic White and James O’Connor.
Ex-All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall reserved praise for the latter, who shone in his first appearance for the Wallabies in three years.
“It was incredible for him to be able to turn back the clock and go out there and do what he did,” he said.
“A Test match at Ellis Park, that’s why you play rugby, isn’t it, to go there and take on the world champions on their home ground, their house.
“I watched him work his way through that Test match. I watched him figure out exactly how they were going to break down this aggressive blitz defence that the Springboks offered, and he did it really well.
“He struggled in the first quarter, 30 minutes, and then he started to figure it out. He adjusted his depth, engaged the line when he needed to and recognised when they were turning in the wingers. He ripped beautiful passes out and set up two tries, one for Dylan Pietsch and the second for Max Jorgensen.
“Because of his experience, he knew where they were going to try and shut them down, and he was the architect of finding the space that the Springboks allow you – if you can get around that blitz.”
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