South Africa will be looking to continue where they left off against New Zealand when they host Australia in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
A fortnight ago, South Africa achieved the unthinkable by beating the All Blacks on New Zealand soil – a result which has brought renewed energy into the Springbok camp and they will be brimming with confidence as they head into this Test.
The Wallabies, by contrast, are on the back foot after suffering their first defeat to Argentina in Australia in 35 years in their most recent outing.
A Springbok victory this weekend at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium – which is a happy hunting ground for the Boks as they are unbeaten in five previous matches at the venue – will put pressure on the All Blacks, who take on Argentina later on Saturday.
Beating the All Blacks on their turf created a sense of euphoria in South Africa and the Boks’ coach, Rassie Erasmus, knows that backing up the performance in Wellington will be easier said than done this weekend.
“If we go week by week and say this game is so important, this game is so important then we will keep saying it until the World Cup final,” he said.
“For us if we can grow we should get the result tomorrow.
“If we can grow from what we did last week we should get the result.
“If we take a step backwards it’s going to be a tough game, a losing game probably.
“Every single week we must be better than last week.”
It will be the Wallabies’ fifth visit to Port Elizabeth for a Test match against South Africa. They last played here 45 years ago when John Thornett’s touring side squared the Test series 2-2 in 1963. The previous four Tests were all won by South Africa.
The Springboks’ biggest win against the Wallabies was in 2008 in Johannesburg when they ran in eight tries to win by 53-8. On that occasion, winger Jongi Nokwe became the first Springbok to score four tries in a Test against Australia.
However, recent matches have been nailbiting affairs with last year’s two Rugby Championship encounters ending in draws while the Wallabies claimed a narrow five-point win in the corresponding fixture in Brisbane earlier this month.
Players to Watch:
For South Africa: In the forwards, all eyes will be on Sikhumbuzo Notshe who will have big boots to fill as he comes into the starting line-up for the first time, as a replacement for Warren Whiteley, who was one of South Africa’s heroes in that epic victory over the All Blacks. Notshe is similar in style to Whiteley and enjoys operating in the wider channels where he usually combines well with his outside backs at Super Rugby level for the Stormers. Test rugby is a different challenge though and it will be interesting to see if he can have the same impact.
For Australia: If the Wallabies want to win this Test, they will need their playmaking department to fire on all cylinders and in Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua they possess two classy players, who have the ability to unlock the tightest defences. As two of the Wallabies’ main attackers, there will be plenty of pressure on them to get their backline going and if they manage to get front-foot ball, they will test their counterparts while Toomua’s goalkicking is also important in the bigger scheme of things.
Head-to-head: After lining up on the right wing in that epic victory over the All Blacks, Jesse Kriel is back in his favoured outside centre berth and he will face off with Reece Hodge, who has been a regular in the number 13 jersey for the Wallabies throughout this competition. Kriel will be determined to cement his spot in the Boks’ run-on side in his more familiar position with a solid display but faces a tough examination from Hodge, who is a tricky customer who has come to the fore with some impressive performances in Wallaby gold in 2018. Kriel is an explosive runner while Hodge is the no-nonsense type, who will be determined to keep him in check with a solid defensive effort.
Previous Matches:
2018: Australia won 23-18 in Brisbane
2017: The teams drew 27-27 in Bloemfontein
2017: The teams drew 23-23 in Perth
2016: South Africa won 18-10 in Pretoria
2016: Australia won 23-17 in Brisbane
2015: Australia won 24-20 in Brisbane
2014: South Africa won 28-10 in Cape Town
2014: Australia won 24-23 in Perth
Prediction:
With this match being played in Port Elizabeth, it’s hard to look past a Springbok win. South Africa to win by seven points.
Teams:
South Africa:
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier , 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse
Australia:
15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Adam Coleman, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 Rob Simmons, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks
Match Details:
Date: Saturday, September 29
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 17:05 local (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Matthew Carley (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)
by PlanetRugby
This is Rassie's opportunity to really lay down a marker as head coach. He will seldom have a better opportunity of notching up rare back-to-back wins over the Wallabies and All Blacks.
