Former Springbok captain John Smit has laid down the gauntlet, hinting that whilst the South African team holds the upper hand, the Aussies aren't just coming to play—they're coming to challenge. With Australia having sharpened their claws against the British & Irish Lions recently, Smit insists that the Wallabies are more than ready for the clash at Ellis Park in the Rugby Championship opener this Saturday.
Reflecting on the Wallabies’ gritty performance in the Lions series, Smit pointed out, "A big part of the Rugby Championship influence is who you face at home. It’s always easier when you’re facing the All Blacks at home, but this year we’ve got them away twice. The good news is that our start is at home against an Australian team that’s come off three really tough tests and they’ve actually been really competitive. The margins were small."
"It doesn’t matter who you play in that June Test period. Any team of the All Blacks, Australia or South Africa that gets to play against the Lions comes into the championship a little bit sharper than anywhere else because they’ve had that battle hardness sort of drilled into them. And Australia stepped up. I think the whole world was expecting it to be an absolute whitewash, but it was a really competitive series."
While the high altitude of Ellis Park could give the Springboks a geographical advantage, Smit warned against underestimating the Wallabies, who have been forced to push their limits in the recent tests. "Granted, they’re coming to Ellis Park first, which is a difficult venue for them, but they’ve probably had to rev a little bit higher than our guys have had to rev in their June Test match series. A lot has been spoken about where Australian rugby is, but I think South Africa needs to realize that we’re up against a team that have answered a lot of those calls in the last three Test matches against the Lions."
Despite the tough competition, the 2007 World Cup-winning captain remains optimistic about the Springboks' chances, though he anticipates a tight scoreline. "I think we’ve got a proper Test match ahead of us and I do believe that South Africa has got enough to be able to overcome that. But I think the first Test will be the tougher of the two."
As the teams gear up for what promises to be a thrilling Rugby Championship kickoff, all eyes will be on whether the Springboks can leverage their home ground advantage to fend off the battle-hardened Aussies.