Neesham set for first red-ball game in three years
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Old head O'Connor gets Schmidt backing following unlikely return
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Injuries have given James O'Connor the chance to win a first Australia cap in three years in the Rugby Championship opener against South Africa on Saturday, but coach Joe Schmidt believes the flyhalf is ready to run the game. Injuries to Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson have opened the door for O'Connor, 35, to make his first international appearance since 2022 in the cauldron of Ellis Park. There are few tougher places in world rugby to play. "The good thing with James is he came in right at the start of the Lions series," Schmidt said. "So he's had three weeks with us. "He's had a period to probably just assimilate himself into the systems that we run and to start gaining confidence that he could run the game, and the confidence of the players that he was a guy to listen to. He's done that really well, and that gives us confidence." O'Connor's return to the Wallabies set-up comes after a good season with the Canterbury Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific. "I tracked him throughout Super Rugby while he was playing for the Crusaders, and I've seen him play for a number of years," Schmidt said. "He hasn't played for the Wallabies in three years, so he's pretty excited by that opportunity." There was another option open to the coaching team in 25-year-old Tane Edmed, who has one international cap, but the world champion Springboks on the Highveld are not the opposition to test out young talent on. "Tane's only just joined us," Schmidt said. "We've got a fair bit of confidence in Tane as well, he was on tour with us last year and made his Test debut, but he had a very disrupted Super Rugby season. "He didn't play a massive amount of minutes and didn't play consistently for the Waratahs, so we're just trying to balance all those things at the moment."
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Wallabies and Springboks in identity swap for clash amid thin air of Highveld
One team boasts some of the most menacing forwards found anywhere in the world. The other is developing a scintillating backline capable of tearing apart any defence. Business as usual, then, for a Wallabies versus Springboks clash. Except this time, like the characters of Freaky Friday, the two sides have switched identities ahead of the first round of the Rugby Championship. Australia might have lost the British & Irish Lions series but they were one referee's decision at the breakdown away from causing a seismic upset. That the margin was so small was thanks largely to the thundering cameos of Will Skelton, Rob Valetini, Taniela Tupou and a handful of other meaty men who provided the front-foot grunt that was absent in the first Test in Brisbane. As for the Boks, under attack coach Tony Brown – the former All Black fly-half – the back-to-back world champions have shed their stereotype. These are no longer the burly brutes of old but sprinters and schemers, running from deep, off-loading in the tackle, unleashing a conveyor belt of diminutive scrum-cap-wearing wingers with nitroglycerin in their boots. Head coach Rassie Erasmus flexed his muscle by naming his team early on Monday and it carries the promise of the sort of enterprising, running footy that wins over neutrals across the Indian Ocean. Who knows, by the end of this two-Test tour, Australian fans might be calling for their team to play like the Boks. The freewheeling Manie Libbok has won the three-way battle for the No 10 jersey, edging out the more reliable Handré Pollard and the all-rounder Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. On his inside he'll have Grant Williams, a zippy scrum-half who prefers sniping through gaps around the fringe to setting up metronomic phases or box-kicking behind a wall. With altitude being a factor at Ellis Park – the stadium in Johannesburg sits 1,800 metres above sea-level, resulting in visiting teams fatiguing late in the piece – the Boks' half-backs will want to stretch the game as much as possible. The Wallabies have a poor record in the City of Gold. Their last victory came in 1963 and they have an aggregate score of 207-107 against from their six games there in the professional era. Their most recent visit ended with a 35-17 defeat in the first round of the 2019 Rugby Championship where an attacking Boks fly-half in Elton Jantjies played all 80 minutes. The Springboks have named the same centre pairing from six years ago with André Esterhuizen linking up with Jesse Kriel. Unlike the creative men inside them, these two are hard-running midfielders and could point to a more direct approach from the Boks once the ball spirals past first receiver. This could also be a nod of respect to the burgeoning relationship between Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Australia haven't totally changed their identity and still pose threats out wide. It's just a matter of whether or not the ball can get beyond the midfield. And with 35-year-old James O'Connor to start at fly-half, making his first appearance in gold for three years, the Springboks will target that inside channel with a trio of rangy loose forwards. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion There are two open-sides on either flank – the jackaling Marco van Staden and the two-time World Rugby player of the year, Pieter-Steph du Toit. Captain Siya Kolisi has been given licence to play towards the ball which means there'll be extra pressure on lock Eben Etzebeth and hooker Malcolm Marx to provide oomph in the tight exchanges. The Springboks didn't have it all their own way at the breakdown against Italy and Georgia recently and have just five forwards on the bench on Saturday, which is light by their standards. As long as Skelton and the other big units can endure the thin air of the Highveld, Australia have a chance of bloodying the Boks' noses. A quick word on Skelton; is there any other player whose mere presence alters the way opposition teams defend? His 2.03m 135kg frame falls like a felled redwood and he always seems to do so over the gainline. When he carries he requires the attention of at least two tacklers, pruning the line elsewhere. At the ruck he is immovable, providing guaranteed ball for the incoming cavalry. There's every chance Erasmus has multiple code-named moves that directly address the conundrum that is Skelton. Maybe one of them is called the 'Foster' or the 'Lohan', in honour of two of the most famous on-screen body-switchers. Whatever the coaches come up with, it will be fascinating watching these two old frenemies tear lumps out of each other while ripping pages out of the other's playbook.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Oleksandr Usyk vs Joseph Parker talks delayed amid worrying update
Talks over a potential title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker have been delayed, according to promoter Frank Warren, who has said the Ukrainian is suffering from an injury. After Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in their rematch in July, staying unbeaten and retaining the undisputed heavyweight titles, attention quickly turned to his next challenger. The consensus is that Parker, 33, is the most-deserving opponent for Usyk, and the 38-year-old was recently ordered to defend his belts against the New Zealander, who is the WBO interim champion and Usyk's mandatory challenger. Yet a setback to negotiations has come in the form of an injury to the champion, per Warren, who told Sky Sports on Thursday (14 August): '[Usyk] put a letter in yesterday, stating that he's asked him for an extension period – because he's injured – before being ordered to do anything. 'His camp have written asking for a period of time before he has to defend the title. Whatever happens, the fact of life is Joseph Parker will either fight as champion if Usyk vacates, or he will fight Usyk for the title.' Warren was referring to the possibility that Parker is elevated to official WBO champion if Usyk gives up the main belt. The Queensberry boss then mentioned Saturday's clash between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte, both of whom are promoted by Warren, as potentially tying into Parker's next move. 'If Moses or Dillian win, they're in the No 1 spot,' said Warren, 'and if the fight with Usyk and Parker doesn't happen, then Joe will have to fight the official No 1 contender. 'We'll see what happens, and the WBO will put a statement out on this today or tomorrow. I've been informally told what the position is. The most important thing is to focus on Saturday, it's a very important fight.' Parker last fought in February, knocking out Martin Bakole in two rounds, after the latter stepped in for an ill Dubois on two days' notice. The Kiwi is a former world champion, while Usyk is a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion and former undisputed cruiserweight king. The Ukrainian southpaw outpointed Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time in May 2024, before giving up the IBF title to facilitate a rematch with the Briton. In December, he outpointed Fury again to retain the remaining belts. Then came his stoppage of Dubois – whom Usyk also finished in 2023 – as the modern great regained undisputed status at heavyweight in July.
