Rugby Championship Preview - Australia v South Africa

It seems that everybody, apart from coaches, loves a maverick.  In England, we love clamouring for somebody to be fast tracked into the England squad after one game because we saw them pull off a goose-step or attempt a behind-the-back pass.  The problem is that coaches crave reliability rather than ‘freedom of expression’, so we don’t often get to see such characters on the world stage.  And it’s certainly obvious that some countries, more than others, are far more comfortable with a healthy dose of flair scattered throughout their backline.

The Wallabies, of course, are the premier producers of the maverick, with one of the most famous exponents of that characteristic, David Campese, still getting a bit too free with his gob and generally coming across as being a racist moron.  But the current king of flair has returned to that 10 shirt following average performances from Matt Toomua, and Quade Cooper will want to make this opportunity account.  His footwork, speed and vision is a nightmare for teams to defend against and this, coupled with the return of Israel Folau to fullback and big Nick Cummins to the wing, gives the Wallaby side a far more penetrative look, despite the fact James Horwill is missing through injury.

The South Africans might not be known for their flair, but their known even less for winning in Brisbane – something they’ve tried and failed on 7 different attempts.  The Springboks, though, will be reliant on the power game which took Los Pumas apart and the calm precision with which the backline – in no way short of speed – took advantage of any space.  But they will be aware of the dangers of the creative forces in the green and gold backline, and will be aware that if they can throttle this Wallaby pack and starve their backs of decent possession, the game will be theirs for the taking.

But the beauty of mavericks is that you never know which player will show up – the genius or the liability.  We’re about to find out which one Quade is...

Australia Team News

Will Genia is named as Wallabies captain with James Horwill ruled out for two games through injury. Kane Douglas replaces Horwill in the second-row. Quade Cooper is named at fly-half in what will be his first start in a Test shirt since 2012 with Matt Toomua relegated to the bench. Elsewhere, Nick Cummins starts on the wing with Israel Folau named at fullback and Jesse Mogg among the replacements.

 

Starting Line up: Israel Folau; Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, James O'Connor; Quade Cooper, Will Genia (captain); Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy; Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons; Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, James Slipper.

Subs: Saia Fainga'a, Scott Sio, Ben Alexander, Ben McCalman, Liam Gill, Nic White, Matt Toomua, Jesse Mogg.

Key Player

Quade Cooper.  Far too often this tournament the Wallabies’ backline has lacked depth and penetration, showing as much aggression as Mother Theresa in a lavender bath.  Partly that has been down to the solid and yet unspectacular Matt Toomua, who has just been happy to ship the ball on without threatening the line and drawing defenders.  Cooper might be about as popular as a fart in an elevator but his ability to attack the gain line and bring variety to his passing could be key to fully unleashing this phenomenally dangerous Wallby backline.

South Africa Team News

The Springboks have made four changes to their starting line-up from the one that begun against South Africa. Bismarck du Plessis starts at hooker in place of Adriaan Strauss while Flip van der Merwe is promoted in place of Juandre Kruger. Zane Kirchner recovers from a hand injury to take the fullback shirt with Willie le Roux shifting to the wing in place of Bjorn Basson.

 

Starting Line up: Zane Kirchner; Willie le Roux, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana; Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar; Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw; Flip van der Merwe, Eben Etzebeth; Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.

Subs: Adriaan Strauss, Gurthro Steenkamp, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juandre Kruger, Siya Kolisi, Jano Vermaak, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein.

Key Player

Bismarck du Plessis.  The powerhouse hooker returns at a time where the number 2 shirt has once again become of paramount importance for sides looking to dominate the set piece.  The new scrum laws mean the hooker has to actually hook the ball, and not just shove, meaning they are going to take a lot of pressure onto their standing knee.  That said Bismarck should have no problem with this on account of being built like a steam engine, and he will be looking to target the Wallaby scrum as a potential area of weakness – as well as contributing around the park with his bulldozer impression.

Key Battle

Michael Hooper v Francois Louw.  With the Wallabies being so comprehensively beaten by the All Blacks for two weeks, it’s easy to forget just how impressive Hooper has been despite this, going toe to toe with Richie McCaw, pilfering ball and carrying with venom.  His battle with Francois Louw, the outstandingly physical Springbok scavenger, will be crucial to determining the outcome of the game – if Hooper can neutralise Louw and thus ease the pressure the Springboks exert on the Wallaby breakdown, he will give Cooper more time to pick holes in this stubborn South African defence.

Prediction

The Springboks have a miserable record at Suncorp, having never won in the last 7 years.  That said, they will be hopeful of a win after an impressive double over the Pumas and after watching Australia’s struggles against New Zealand.  But I think, the Wallabies, in parts, have looked very good – they’ve certainly dominated possession and territory in their games, but they’ve missed that spark to make it count.  With Cooper and Folau in their preferred positions, the team looks much more settled and dangerous, and I think that might be the edge in a tight contest.  Wallabies by 4.