Will Skelton addresses Wallabies’ future as he braces for Springboks ‘punch in the face’
Wallabies lock Will Skelton and an inset of Australian players celebrating the victory over the Springboks.
Powerhouse lock Will Skelton expects the Springboks to bounce back emphatically from their opening round defeat in the Rugby Championship.
South Africa raced out to a 22-0 lead at Ellis Park in Round One but conceded 38 unanswered points as Australia sealed a stunning 22-38 victory, their first at the famous ground in over 60 years.
Bok boss Rassie Erasmus was embarrassed by the performance of his charges, and Skelton believes that the world champions will be hellbent on righting the wrongs and come out firing when the two teams meet in Cape Town this week.
Springboks’ backlash
The shock result in Johannesburg comes off the back of a stunning performance in the third Test match against the British and Irish Lions, but the experienced second rower says the belief in the Wallabies squad is continually building.
“It’s been building throughout the Lions Series, where we didn’t have the best start as well, so we had that coming into this game,” Skelton told reporters on Sunday.
“22-0 under the post, but we stuck to the game plan and the processes. We stuck in there and we fought to come back to where we won the game. I’m extremely proud of the group and how we fought; we had a really good week of preparation, and to put a performance out like that, it was a really, really great feeling.”
While the squad did celebrate the win with a ‘few beverages’, Skelton says that the attention has already turned to the second game and making sure the team is prepared for whatever Erasmus and his charges have to throw at them.
“The boys have already turned to next week, reviewing the match, clipping stuff up,” he continued.
“We know what’s coming; they are going to go back to their strengths – they are going to try to punch us in the face this week, so we are going to have to be ready and have another good week of preparation and really fly into them.”
He added: “We take it game by game, we’re onto that next moment, and that’s the next game in Cape Town, we enjoyed last night, we enjoyed getting that win, but we are solely focused on our preparation leading into this week.
“We know how good a team the Springboks are, and you saw that in the first 20 minutes. 22-0 is a tough place to come back from, and it might not be the same next week; that fast start might be for 40 minutes, so we’re going to have to prepare as well as we can and galvanise.
“There are some bruised bodies and new guys coming into the camp, so the focus is going to be on flying into our preparation to get another good performance.”
Wallabies pay costly price after Rugby Championship victory over the Springboks
Further involvement in the Rugby Championship
Skelton’s return to the Wallabies’ fold has coincided with the team’s best performances this year, but there are still question marks if he will be available for selection for the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
His involvement is made tricky with the fact that he plies his trade with French club La Rochelle, and while Schmidt is able to select overseas-based players, the lock’s availability isn’t always a certainty.
However, the forward is confident that he will be in the mix for the next leg of the Rugby Championship with the Wallabies facing Argentina in back-to-back Tests in Australia after the Test in Cape Town.
“I will definitely be on the flight home,” he said when asked about his availability.
“We are having ongoing conversations about what the rest of the Rugby Championship looks like. We will have a think this week and have a chat with the brains trust and see what we get to.”
Having played under several Wallabies coaches, Skelton said that Schmidt isn’t too different in the manner in which he motivates the team, but did identify where his point of difference is.
“For me, it’s been pretty similar (with Schmidt) to every other coach; we speak about buy-in, and everyone buys in to whatever coach you have, but maybe we have found something now that works for us,” he explained.
“In terms of nailing the basics, Joe is really massive on the fundamentals. He is really hard on us, and you can tell by the time the game comes, we are playing freely because we have done the work in the week.
“The belief is always there, you are playing for Australia, that’s all the motivation you need.”