Wallabies prop’s blunt response to suggestions the Springboks lodged complaint over injuries
Wallabies front-rower Allan Alaalatoa.
Experienced Australia prop Allan Alaalatoa has hit back at suggestions that South Africa have made a formal request to World Rugby to investigate Australia’s injuries in a recent clash between the teams.
The Round Two Rugby Championship clash between the countries saw uncontested scrums taking place in the second half after the Wallabies lost both their loosehead props – Angus Bell and James Slipper – and tighthead Alaalatoa to injury.
Bell sustained a facial injury in the match which the Springboks won 30-12, while Slipper and Alaalatoa both failed HIAs.
Boks reportedly sought clarity on Wallabies injuries
According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South African Rugby officials had reportedly sought clarity from World Rugby regarding the aforementioned injuries but a Rugby Australia spokesperson confirmed that no such request had been received from the governing body.
The implication is that the Springboks suspect the Wallabies could have faked or exaggerated the injuries in a bid to nullify a clear strength of their much vaunted ‘Bomb Squad’ bench.
But Alaalatoa dismissed those suggestions after he left the field at half-time after receiving an elbow to his head.
“Do they think I was trying to fake an HIA or something?” Alaalatoa asked reporters in Sante Fe ahead of Australia’s Round Four Rugby Championship Test with Argentina in Sante Fe on Saturday.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of that but what I do know is that if someone comes off injured, and then we have (failed a) HIA like we did on the weekend for myself and Slips (James Slipper), then my understanding is that they can’t return back to the field.
“I remember Joe (Schmidt) at the end of that game saying he’s never been a part of that game where things like that have happened, and I don’t think I have as well.”
The timing of the suggestions against the Wallabies comes at a strange time as their pack delivered a dominant scrum performance in their 20-19 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires last weekend.
Australia won three scrum penalties against Los Pumas in that clash and the have improved in that department under the guidance of veteran scrum coach Mike Cron.
The Wallabies have won 95.7 per cent of their own scrum ball in this year’s Rugby Championship, which is almost 10 percent higher than the Springboks and they are only behind the All Blacks who have a perfect 100 per cent record at the set-piece.
‘We want to scrum’
“We want to scrum, that’s what we want to do, especially as front-rowers,” Alaalatoa said.
“You want to take on that challenge and don’t want to shy away from that.
“We’re at a stage in our team where we want to keep growing and keep fronting up against the best, so you never want to shy away from that.”
