Springboks turn attention to Rugby Champs: Wallabies will be no whipping boys
The competition kicks off in just over two weeks' time, with the Boks first up in South Africa against Australia. They'll face each other in two matches on home soil before the Boks turn their attention to the All Blacks and later on, Argentina.
But while the reigning world champions will back themselves to win against the Wallabies in Joburg and Cape Town on August 16 and 23 respectively, coach Rassie Erasmus is sure to point out just what a challenge Joe Schmidt's Wallabies will be.
The Australians may have lost their ongoing series against the British and Irish Lions, with one game to go, but Schmidt's men have shown enough in their 27-19 and 29-26 defeats in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively to be confident of pushing Erasmus' men all the way on tour.
'Completely different kettle of fish'
The Wallabies showed a combative side not seen in years in the second Test last Saturday, while there was also a confidence in their play to give them enough belief they'll be challengers for the 2025 Rugby Championship title.
They were one controversial refereeing decision away from winning the Melbourne Test, against a far more experienced side in the Lions, and levelling the series, ahead of this weekend's match in Sydney.
Erasmus knows his players are in for a far bigger challenge than anything they faced against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia, who were not the ideal sides to play against in warming up for the Rugby Championship.
'Australia, New Zealand and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world, and if one considers that we won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 last year, it is clear that this will be a completely different kettle of fish,' Erasmus said recently.
'All three teams have beaten us in the last few years and they play a different style of rugby to the other opposition we have faced thus far. But, we are pleased with the foundation we laid in the last few weeks and we know exactly what areas of our game we need to work on going into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.'
Erasmus and Co will certainly be working hard in the next two weeks to get the Boks up to speed for what lies ahead – a not to be sniffed at Wallabies team which looks pretty powerful up front with the likes of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in the mix. And, there's also plenty of attacking power at the back to ensure the Boks will be fully focused on Schmidt's side in the coming days.
Rugby Championship fixtures
August 16: South Africa v Australia, Argentina v New Zealand
August 23: South Africa v Australia, Argentina v New Zealand
September 6: Australia v Argentina, New Zealand v South Africa
September 13: Australia v Argentina, New Zealand v South Africa
September 27: New Zealand v Australia, South Africa v Argentina
October 4: Australia v New Zealand, Argentina v South Africa
This article first appeared in The Citizen.
Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.
Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
Chelsea's Broja joins Burnley on five-year deal
Armando Broja has left boyhood club Chelsea to join promoted Burnley on a five-year contract, it was announced Friday. No fee was disclosed but British media reports said Burnley would be paying Premier League rivals Chelsea an initial £10 million ($13.4 million), with a potential further £5 million ($6.7 million) in add-ons. Broja moved to Chelsea from Tottenham aged just eight in 2009 before moving through the Blues' academy all the way up to the first-team, where he made 38 appearances and scored nine goals. But Broja -- an English-born striker who represents Albania, his parents' country -- has had several loan spells away from Stamford Bridge, most recently at Everton last season. The Toffees, however, decided against making the transfer permanent and with Chelsea spending big money to recruit forwards Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, Broja has decided to leave Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old, who has also played for Southampton and Fulham in the Premier League, said in a statement: "I am really excited to be here as a Burnley player. It's a really positive time to be joining this club ahead of the start of the new Premier League season. I can't wait to get going. "I'm feeling good, I'm ready and I'm excited about the challenge of playing for this club. I can tell you all that I will be giving my all every time I pull on the famous claret shirt." Burnley have also signed Bashir Humphreys and Lesley Ugochukwu in the off-season as they look to bolster their squad on their return to English football's top-flight.
eNCA
10 hours ago
- eNCA
Liverpool's Slot hints at fresh Isak bid despite 'attacking power'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot refused to rule out an improved bid for Newcastle's Alexander Isak as the Premier League champions consider adding to their formidable firepower, with Darwin Nunez set to leave for Saudi Arabia. After a quiet first year in the transfer market under Slot the Reds have spent almost £300 million ($402 million) on forwards Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike as well as full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Nunez is one of a number of significant exits that will help recoup much of that outlay as the Uruguayan closes in on a £46 million move to Al Hilal. Liverpool reportedly had a £110 million bid for Isak turned down by Newcastle, who are seeking a British transfer record fee. The Swedish striker has not been part of the Magpies' pre-season preparations and has been told to train on his own by Newcastle. "You never talk about players that are not yours," Slot said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley, the traditional curtain-raiser for the season. "I think we have a lot of attacking power in our team. When I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger, -- I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad. "But, as always as a club, we are always looking at the chances in the market." Liverpool celebrated a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title but were devastated last month by the death of forward Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international was killed in a car accident alongside his brother in northern Spain as he began to make his way back to England for pre-season. A series of tributes have been paid to Jota at every Liverpool game since and will continue throughout the season. A "Forever 20" emblem, referencing Jota's now-retired shirt number, will be printed on Liverpool's shirts this season, while a permanent memorial will be installed at Anfield. "First of all, tragedy impacted us but it impacted far more his wife, children and parents," said Slot. "But it impacted us as well, definitely. The tributes that have been done since were all very emotional and impressive, every time we were somewhere.
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Bernie Ecclestone's controversial advice: Time for Lewis Hamilton to step back from F1?
Former F1 owner and British business mogul Bernie Ecclestone has made unsavoury comments about seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, recently suggesting he should walk away from the sport. Ecclestone was speaking to the media about rumours swirling around the paddock regarding a possible partnership with Christian Horner to buy Alpine – which he refuted. He claimed Hamilton had a better chance of winning an eighth world title than he did of buying Alpine with Horner. Ecclestone owned the F1 brand from the 1970s until 2017, when American company Liberty Media acquired the rights. During his tenure, he oversaw the rise of former champions such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. He claimed Hamilton was doing himself a disservice by continuing to race. The 94-year-old's negative stance has been fuelled by Hamilton's recent struggles with Ferrari, notably the widening performance gap between him and team-mate Charles Leclerc during qualifying. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton started in 12th place while Leclerc began from pole, prompting an unusually harsh self-assessment from the Brit, who described himself as 'useless'. He went on to finish the race in P12. Ecclestone went as far as to suggest Hamilton should 'throw in the towel' before something 'nasty' happened to him.
