Waugh wary of fired up Boks

Australia veteran flanker Phil Waugh believes the two Tri-Nations matches played against New Zealand will place South Africa at an advantage when the Wallabies and Boks go head to head in Perth on July 19.

Australia veteran flanker Phil Waugh believes the two Tri-Nations matches played against New Zealand will place South Africa at an advantage when the Wallabies and Boks go head to head on July 19.

Waugh and his team-mates head into the Perth clash with the world champion Springboks buoyed by a win over Ireland and two against France.

South Africa emerged 8-19 losers in what was a physical pounding in Wellington last week and win or lose in Dunedin, it's bound to be another taxing affair.

The Wallabies and Waratahs openside, however, said the Boks would be sharper for it when they arrive in Australia.

“They will certainly have the benefit of having played two games under them by the time we reach them,” Waugh told AAP.

“But looking at the game, it's going to be an intense game on the back end of the Super 14.

“The rules we played in the Super 14 are fairly similar, it's certainly going to be a lot quicker and tougher than what we played in the last three Tests.”

The Wallabies haven't been pushed in the games against Ireland and France, the series-win over the French nothing to boast about considering many first-choice players were unavailable because of European club commitments.

The Springboks will demand a better, if not more physical, quality of performance.

“It's going to be combative, all bets are off,” said Waugh.

“I don't think we're under any illusions as to winning by 30 points last week that we are going great, I think it's a whole new ball park.”

South Africa boast a strong record in Perth, having won two and drawn one of the four Tri-Nations clashes played there against the Wallabies.

“No matter what the result, they've always been pretty close, I think they enjoy playing there,” Waugh said.

“It's obviously closer to home for them, but we've got a lot of Western Force guys in the team, it's our home ground still.”

After coming off the bench in the first two Tests behind his old rival and colleague George Smith, 28-year-old Waugh regained a starting spot last week and earned plaudits for his performance from Deans.

“I like to start, it's about what is the best balance for the team and where you fit into the team's best performance,” said Waugh.

“I'd love to be starting, if I'm not starting I'd love to get plenty of time off the bench and I guess lift the energy of the team.”

Now playing under his fourth Test coach, following Rod Macqueen, Eddie Jones and John Connolly, Waugh described the early weeks of the Deans regime as “refreshing”.

“It's fairly similar to how the Crusaders (Deans' former team) have been playing, it's all about up-skilling all the players and giving everyone freedom to play,” he said.

“So far it's been really refreshing. Guys enjoy not just playing but training and it's all been a breath of fresh air.”