A Springbok side missing its top stars will seek to embarrass a weakened Wallabies outfit and end taunts that South Africa sent a B-side to Australia in tomorrow's Tri-Nations clash in Sydney.
The Springboks have revelled in their underdog status and insist the pressure is all on Australia for what could be a bruising encounter at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.
Coach Jake White believes game-breaking Wallaby winger Lote Tuqiri's shock suspension for an alcohol infringement this week has exposed a chink in Australia's armour that his side can exploit.
"He's a very special player and a huge loss to the team," White said this week. "Tuqiri is very important to the Wallabies. I'm sure they will miss him at the weekend."
"If you do an analysis of Tuqiri in terms of ball in hand and his defensive work, he is a very special player. He's one of the best in the world," White said.
South Africa have retained only two players from the starting line-up that beat Australia 22-19 in Cape Town last month after adopting a controversial policy to protect its top-line players ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup.
The decision to rest more than 20 players has sparked outrage Down Under, with the Australian Rugby Union labeling it a betrayal and some commentators even calling for South Africa to be kicked out of the Tri-Nations tournament.
Springboks captain and No. 8 Bob Skinstad, who is making his international comeback this year after retiring four years ago, said the B-team jibes had fired up the touring South Africans.
"You shouldn't need any motivation, but it certainly helps," Skinstad said.
South Africa will also be hoping the Wallabies have not yet fully recovered from last week's epic 20-15 win over New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Australia will be eager to give veterans Stephen Larkham and George Gregan a winning send-off in their last home Test, which will also mark Larkham's 100th cap.
The pair have more international caps between them (231) than the entire Springbok starting XV (229).
Australia called up winger Mark Gerrard to replace Tuqiri, with injuries allowing in debutant Stephen Hoiles at No. 8 for Wycliff Palu (shoulder) and prop Adam Freier for Stephen Moore (sternum).
Wallabies forwards coach Michael Foley said he expected an aggressive, physical game from Springbok players desperate to place themselves in the running for a World Cup berth.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
RSS