South African coach Heyneke Meyer is wary of a Wallabies resurgence in their Rugby Championship clash tomorrow, saying his team are underdogs as they bid to end a losing streak against Australia.
The wobbling Wallabies host the Springboks in Perth and Meyer knows the home side will be desperate to bounce back after being humbled by the all-conquering All Blacks both at home and away last month.
Robbie Deans’ Australia conceded the Bledisloe Cup for the 10th successive year when they were beaten 27-19 in Sydney on Aug. 18 before suffering an embarrassing 22-0 defeat at Auckland’s Eden Park a week later.
The losses have placed an enormous amount of pressure on Deans, but Meyer expects the Wallabies to come out firing, suggesting his own team, who have also had form woes, would start as underdogs.
“I have a lot of respect for Robbie Deans. He’s very astute and a very knowledgeable guy so he’ll know how to handle the pressure and I think the quality of a great coach is to take the pressure off the players,” Meyer said. “I know the psyche of the Australian rugby players. They will definitely come out with all guns blazing. They are a proud team and they have been together for quite some time. There is obviously a lot of pressure on them and we are probably the underdogs.”
Recent form in Tests between the two countries supports Meyer’s stance.
The Springboks, for only the second time in their history, have lost their past four Tests against Australia, with their last win in August 2010 in Pretoria.
In their most recent meeting, the Wallabies won 11-9 in the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup.
“We don’t have a good record against them,” Meyer said. “We have lost four out of four against them, and won one out of seven, which shows how tough it is to play against Australia.”
“Even though New Zealand beat them quite convincingly they are still a quality side,” Meyer said.
Deans dismissed Australia’s recent dominance against South Africa, who are second in the four-nation Rugby Championship with six points, as a factor in the match.
“At the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” said Deans, whose side have zero points. For the Wallabies, Kurtley Beale is recalled to the starting line-up at fullback and Queensland winger Dominic Shipperley is named for his Test debut.
Beale was relegated to the bench for Eden Park, after an error-riddled performance in Sydney and his recall sees Adam Ashley-Cooper shuffled to outside center.
The Springboks are coming off a disappointing 16-16 draw against Argentina in Mendoza last month.
They, too, have made changes, five in total, with Western Province number eight Duane Vermeulen to make his Test debut tomorrow.
Adriaan Strauss has been included at hooker after coming through a first set of fitness tests, but remains a doubt.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Aaron Civale got a little wild in the right-hander’s first start for the Chicago White Sox two days after he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Civale on Sunday walked four of the first seven hitters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old finished with four walks, one off his career high, while allowing six hits and two runs in five innings. He threw 65 strikes and 39 balls. Chicago trailed 2-1 when he was replaced by Dan Altavilla to start the sixth. “Not the cleanest,” Civale said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week. First couple
RSS