TRC Match Preview: Australia vs South Africa

In the second fixture of the Rugby Championship this season, South Africa and Australia face off, in a likely battle for the runner up position in the tournament. The two sides are likely to play two very different gameplans, and this has certainly been reflected in their selections. This will be a great match to watch, and it features some of the games biggest names.

Up front, the Boks should have the edge. They start Tendai Mtawarira on the loosehead side, and the Beast will bring everything he has to bear on his Australian opposition. Then Bismarck and Jannie Du Plessis make up the rest of the Bok front row. Bismarck is arguably the world’s best hooker, and probably the most well rounded, with his immovability at the breakdown and absurd power with ball in hand. Australia have plenty of mobility in their front row, with James Slipper and Sekope Kepu, while Stephen Moore will provide the set-piece solidity for the Wallabies.

In the locks, Michael Cheika has called upon Rob Simmons, who will offer a great lineout presence, and Will Skelton, who try to smash his way through the Springbok line. Skelton is a liability in the lineout in terms of jumpers, but his power will be of great use for the Australians. Eben Etzebeth and Victor Matfield will torture the Australian lineout, with the latter one of the most dominant lineout forwards in the world. Etzebeth is a great presence with ball in hand, and he will be hard for the Wallabies to contain.

Michael Hooper beat David Pocock to claim the 7 shirt, so expectations will be high for him, but he has good backup, as Scott Fardy offers his workrate, and Scott Higginbotham will bring his incredible athleticism to the table as well. With no Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger will start at 8, flanked by Marcell Coetzee at openside, and Francois Louw at blindside. Louw will be a nightmare for Australia at the breakdown, and Coetzee will bring the pain all day long. The loose forwards will determine the course of this game. If Genia and Cooper get clean ball, they can do a lot of damage, if not they will be forced to play a slower game, right into the Springboks hands.

Ruan Pienaar starts at 9, and his slow methodical style of play will keep the Springboks in the right areas of the field, while his smooth service should put Handre Pollard in a position to make plays. Against them, it’s the old Queensland pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper. When at their best, these two are among the most explosive halfbacks in the world, but, it has been some time since they have both been at their best in international rugby. Pollard and Cooper’s battle will go a long way in determining the outcome of the match.

South Africa have gone with two explosive young centers in Damian De Allende and Jesse Kriel. De Allende has been in outstanding form this season, scoring two tries against the World XV last weekend. Kriel was electric last week, and could very well be the magician South Africa fans have been waiting for at outside center. The youngsters will be up against some real talent however, facing off with Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani. The Australian centers have a borderline telepathic relationship, and extremely dangerous in attack. If Kriel can hold his own against Kuridrani, there can be no doubting of his international credentials, and if De Allende continues to play the way he has been, you can pretty much write him into the Springbok lineup for the World Cup right now.

Rob Horne and Adam Ashley-Cooper make up the wings, with Horne coming off an outstanding season for the Waratahs. Israel Folau will be looking to create mayhem in the Springbok backline, and doubtless he will be the centerpiece of the Wallaby attack. The Springboks have a pretty good back three as well. Bryan Habana brings his electric pace, while JP Peiterson will bring a lot of power on the opposite wing. Willie Le Roux starts at fullback, and he is more than a match for Folau. Expect these two units to be going at each other all night long, as both try to use the space created by their athletic forwards and explosive inside backs.

Both coaches have probably viewed this tournament as a chance to experiment a bit with their setup, but that does not mean that we will not see some good rugby in this fixture. With chances of World Cup Glory on the line, both of these sides will be foaming at the mouth. This will be a very entertaining match, between these two bitter rivals, however, I get the sense that the Springboks will be able to control the set-piece, and therefore, control the match as well.

Prediction: Australia 22- South Africa 32