A standalone Test after a brutal month
Rassie Erasmus has already set the tone ahead of the Springboks’ trip to Australia. The world champions play a one-off Test against the Wallabies next weekend, the final stop on a tour that has already taken them from Argentina to the United States.
South Africa arrive with plenty of confidence. They have just won the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks 3-1, with the decider played in Baltimore. The head coach has kept the same squad for the trip to Australia, with no extra call-ups from home.
Erasmus was keen to frame this final assignment as part of the same run of Tests. “We knew how tough the matches against Argentina and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry games against the All Blacks would be, and we took that into account in our preparation,” he said.
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The Wallabies are no free hit
The World Rugby rankings put South Africa top of the pile, which makes the Springboks the obvious favourites. Erasmus is in no mood to treat the hosts like a team there to make up the numbers at the end of a tour.
Australia come in off a series win over Argentina’s Pumas earlier this month. “The Wallabies are playing well and we have no doubt they will go after this match hard, which means we need another full 80-minute performance to get the result we want,” the coach warned. He called it a “completely different challenge” from the ones they have faced in recent weeks.
The comparison stacks up. Against the All Blacks, the Boks faced a side who want to move the ball fast and stretch teams wide. In front of their own crowd, Australia will bring a different threat, and a different kind of pressure.
Fatigue is the real opponent
Travel is the biggest issue right now. The players had a day off in Baltimore on Sunday, then made the long haul to Australia via Dallas. That is a rough schedule for a side that has just played three Tests in three weeks.
Erasmus publicly thanked Andy Edwards, his athletic performance lead, and the logistics team. “They deserve a lot of credit for how smoothly the trip has gone,” he said. Training does not resume until Friday, which tells you recovery comes before any tactical fine-tuning.
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