South Africa finish off their Rugby Championship with back-to-back home fixtures against their two closest southern hemisphere competitors, and Saturday's visit of Australia promises to make or break their tournament.
Sitting level on 10 points apiece, the two teams hoping to bring New Zealand back down to Earth will compete to remain within reach of the All Blacks.
Injuries and other absences are beginning to take their toll on all four of the tournament's squads, but it only adds to the drama at hand, with either the Springboks or the Wallabies looking to maintain their title hopes at Newlands.
South Africa and Australia clash at Newlands in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Wallabies head to South Africa looking to complete the double over the Springboks in the penultimate match of the 2014 Rugby Championship.
The match gets underway at 01.05am AEST on Sunday morning (4.05pm local time) and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports in Australia. Coverage will also be available online.
Date: Saturday, September 27
Time: 4:05 p.m. BST/11:05 a.m. ET
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Injury to Francois Louw has left Heyneke Meyer in something of a pickle regarding who takes their places in his back row, and Oupa Mohoje has been given the green light for his first Springboks start at openside this Saturday.
It's been a hard-fought battle for the flanker to reach this level, as South Africa Rugby points out, but Mohoje is deserving of the candidacy, and has a key clash to consider coming up against Australia captain Michael Hooper:
Hooper's influence in all areas, both attacking and defending, ensures Mohoje will have a long day's work ahead of him, where securing ball for his side will be the first priority.
One benefit to come from this decision could be that Marcell Coetzee slots back in at blindside, a shift that could cater more comfortably to his skill set, but a stellar start will nonetheless be required from Mohoje in such high-stakes surroundings.
The last time Israel Folau lined up against South Africa, it took the fullback less than a minute to get his name on the scoreboard as the Wallabies took the fight to their opponents with an unfamiliar initiative.
There have been times during this Rugby Championship where a clinical touch has been lacking among Ewen McKenzie's ranks, but with a player like Folau around, one can always bank on fireworks.
That being said, after such a stellar Super Rugby season, Folau perhaps hasn't lit up this tournament quite as spectacularly as some might have anticipated, quoted by The Daily Telegraph's Jamie Pandaram (h/t Fox Sports) in suggesting a more fluid approach is needed:
"Sometimes we’re too structured and miss opportunities that we see in front [of us], instead of just playing the game. I think that will just come over time, but I think it’s getting better."
There's definitely been a sense of apprehension around the team at times, and indeed Folau himself, but if anyone is capable of providing a spark against the Springboks, he'd be the man in the frame to do so.
Willie le Roux has enjoyed a tidal wave of good form over the past 12 months or so but has shown during the tournament small lapses in judgement, more of which Folau will be hoping to force in Cape Town.
Preview:
The record books show that the Wallabies took down the Springboks earlier in the month, winning 24-23, but those who watched without green and gold glasses will attest to the fact that a very dubious refereeing decision that saw the South Africans reduced to 14 men was a significant factor in the outcome.
The Springboks were the better side that night despite the Wallabies having the home ground advantage in Perth, and now that advantage will be lost as they head to Newlands.
The Springboks responded from that game with another agonisingly close loss, this time coming against the All Blacks in Wellington. That's something of a morale victory that the Boks will be able to take away from that one, however, as they restricted the world's best team to just one try in their own backyard, and were knocking right at the door at the end of the game coming very close to stealing the game away in the closing moments.
Ultimately they didn’t get the win, and the resulting bonus point won’t help them to win the competition, but if you can come within a couple of metres of beating the All Blacks at home, then you’re a pretty talented side.
Australia’s 2014 Rugby Championship campaign remains polarising. Entering with so much promise, the Wallabies began with a draw against the All Blacks that stunted New Zealand's chase for the world record winning streak, and offered some reason for optimism for Wallabies fans, while at the same time disappointment at their inability to secure the win, such is the sour taste in your mouth that a draw creates.
Since then, the Wallabies have failed to kick on. The All Blacks thumped them the following week to let them know that the draw was an aberration, they defeated the Springboks in very fortunate circumstances and their latest win against Argentina did little to instil much faith in their ability to now travel to South Africa and knock them over.
They got the win, and denied the Pumas a bonus point in the process, but they leaked three tries despite having 58% of possession, they completed just 85% of their tackles to the Pumas 89% and their scrummaging was again exposed winning just 66% of scrums on their own feed.
The Wallabies haven’t won in South Africa since 2010 and haven’t won against the Springboks at Newlands since 1992. If South Africa can replicate their performance against New Zealand, it’s going to be an incredibly difficult task for this Wallabies outfit to make it over the try-line, while the Boks will happily chip away with three pointers to ease their way to victory.
The Qantas Wallabies side to play South Africa in the next Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship and Mandela Plate clash at Newlands Stadium on Saturday 27 September is:
1. James Slipper (vc - Queensland Reds)
2. Saia Fainga’a (Queensland Reds)
3. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs)
4. Sam Carter (ACT Brumbies)
5. Rob Simmons (Queensland Reds)
6. Scott Fardy (ACT Brumbies)
7. Michael Hooper (c - NSW Waratahs)
8. Ben McCalman (Western Force)
9. Nick Phipps (NSW Waratahs)
10. Bernard Foley (NSW Waratahs)
11. Joe Tomane (ACT Brumbies)
12. Matt Toomua (ACT Brumbies)
13. Tevita Kuridrani (ACT Brumbies)
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper (vc - NSW Waratahs)
15. Israel Folau (NSW Waratahs)
Reserves
16. James Hanson (Queensland Reds)
17. Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs)
18. Ben Alexander (ACT Brumbies)
19. James Horwill (Queensland Reds)
20. Scott Higginbotham (Melbourne Rebels)
21. Nic White (ACT Brumbies)
22. Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs)
23. Rob Horne (NSW Waratahs)
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27 Sept 2014, 16:37
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27 Sept 2014, 16:37#1
