Fraser McReight, Australia's newly minted openside flanker captain, vows to maintain his tenacious playing style in the upcoming Rugby Championship clash against South Africa. Stepping up as captain in place of the injured Harry Wilson, McReight is ready to lead the Wallabies at DHL Stadium, marking him as the 91st player to captain Australia.
"I feel very privileged and honoured to get the nod of captain this week and first and foremost I’d probably say I’d much rather be playing with Harry and for him to be leading us out, but I also feel very proud to be part of a special club," McReight shared with reporters in Cape Town.
The Wallabies are riding high after a historic 38-22 victory over the Springboks last weekend, their first win against South Africa in 12 years and their first at Ellis Park since 1963. McReight, pivotal in that victory, intends to keep his approach unchanged despite the added responsibilities. "It probably won’t change too much from what I’d be doing if Harry was playing – let the game drivers do their thing, and I’ll let my game do most of the talking, try to get to the ref when I can, but just do what I normally do, not much changes," he stated.
"My role… as a number seven, is be a good defender, be a pest, have a high work rate, that’s what I try to do."
The Springboks, stung by last week's defeat, are expected to come back strong, with head coach Rassie Erasmus making significant changes to his starting lineup, including the recall of Aphelele Fassi after Willie le Roux's injury withdrawal.
Despite the lineup shakeup from the Springboks, McReight downplays its impact on the Wallabies' preparations. "It’s not really dominated too much, to be honest," he remarked. "We know that the Springboks have a lot of quality players, and they tend to use them all – even last week, we didn’t know who they were going to play because of the depth."
"We’ve got such great leaders in this team… typically, I try to stay quiet, head down and bum up."
The focus for McReight and his team remains on correcting their slow start from the previous match and maintaining control over their game plan, regardless of the opposition's changes. "That first 20 we played, it was pretty poor and we want to try to rectify that," McReight explained. "For us, it’s a lot about us, we’re looking in the mirror, what can we do better throughout the week?"
As the rematch looms, the Wallabies are determined to demonstrate that their recent victory was no fluke, with McReight at the helm ready to lead by example on the field.