Jake White: Wallabies ‘not a banana skin’ for Springboks but Rassie Erasmus must be wary of ‘Joe Schmidt’s moles’
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus.
Ex-Springboks head coach Jake White has warned Rassie Erasmus of the Joe Schmidt influence ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies.
South Africa take on Australia in Johannesburg on Saturday looking to begin the defence of their title with a victory.
Erasmus’ men will be heavy favourites for the contest and they have gone in fully-loaded for the match at Ellis Park.
Rassie’s respect for Joe Schmidt and Wallabies
However, White believes that decision shows the head coach very much respects this weekend’s opponents, who defeated the British and Irish Lions in the third Test in Sydney two weeks ago.
“Some in South Africa will be wary of overconfidence, but I don’t see this fixture as a banana skin. The Springbok fanbase have enormous confidence in Rassie’s selection choices but judgement on these Boks will only come at the end of the campaign,” he wrote in his RugbyPass column.
“The fact that Rassie brought them back from their holidays a week early suggests he has seen something from the Wallabies. Something which merits close attention.
“It’s a sign Rassie is taking the Test seriously, which is a feather in the cap for Joe. Rassie isn’t naïve enough to think that they won’t be battle-hardened from the intensity of the Lions Tests.
“Compare that to the Springboks who have faced the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia. The run-in for both teams is chalk and cheese.”
Schmidt has made a big call in selecting James O’Connor at fly-half this weekend in what will be the playmaker’s first Test since 2022.
O’Connor has predominantly featured off the bench during the Crusaders’ run to the Super Rugby Pacific title, but he has been handed a starting spot against the Springboks.
“The big selection point that raised an eyebrow was the Wallabies selecting James O’Connor, but on closer inspection, it makes total sense,” White wrote.
“He has played in a Crusaders team that won Super Rugby Pacific, so he has the confidence of a winner. He’s also massively experienced and knows the South African psyche.”
Schmidt’s spies
While it is perhaps a surprising selection from the Wallabies boss, White reckons Schmidt would have had spies keeping him updated on O’Connor’s progress this year in what could spell danger for Erasmus and the Boks.
“Joe Schmidt will have had his moles reporting back from New Zealand, don’t you worry,” he wrote.
“O’Connor’s selection isn’t a gamble in my eyes. Remember Brent Russell was thrown in at the deep end in 2003 at Newlands, when Andre Pretorius got sick. Australia hadn’t done their homework on him because of his late call-up and he was man of the match.
“Sometimes the cards fall in your favour in the most unforeseen ways and it would be some story if O’Connor has a say in the Test result.”
History shows that unlikely scenarios can come to pass, particularly in Springboks-Wallabies games. Just four years ago, Quade Cooper came in from the international wilderness to kick the winning penalty against the defending world champions.
It would be a remarkable moment should that be repeated by O’Connor but White is ultimately backing South Africa to win, adding: “I think Rassie’s tried and tested soldiers will do a job.”
