Wallabies coach Robbie Dean has gone with an extra forward on the bench for Saturday’s Tri-Nations test against the Springboks in Durban, in a clear indication that his side expects a highly physical battle with the home forwards.
Reds loose forward Radike Samo has been added as the second loose forward on a bench that sees only scrumhalf Luke Burgess and centre Anthony Faainga as back line substitutes. Veteran lock forward Nathan Sharpe has been returned to the starting lineup, along with openside flank Scott Higginbotham as the only changes to the starting team that lost to the All Blacks last week.
Lachie Turner is the unlucky man to drop out of the 22 altogether to make room for Samo, while Rob Simmons has gone from hero to zero in being dropped straight out of the 22 after starting last week.
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 James Horwill, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Substitutes: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Salesi Maafu, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Radike Samo, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Anthony Faingaa
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BOK TEAM…Let’s see…15-F Steyn; 14-J de Villiers; 13-J Fourie; 12-B James; 11-B Habana; 10-M Steyn; 9-F du Preez; 8-P Spies; 7-D Rossouw; 6-J Deysel; 5-V Matfield; 4-B Botha; 3-J du Plessis; 2-J Smit (c); 1-B Mtawarira; Substitutes: 16-CJ van der Linde; 17-B du Plessis; 18-J Mostert; 19-H Brussow; 20-R Pienaar; 21-J de Jongh; 22-JP Pietersen
@Charlie (Comment 1) :
Hmm.. close, but I think:
Beast, Smit, Jannie, Bakkies, Victor, Brussow, Rossouw, Spies, du Preez, Butch, Habana, Jean, Jacque, JPP, Fransie.
Bench: CJ, Bis, Mostert, Deysel, Pienaar, de Jongh and Morne.
@Charlie (Comment 1) :
Do you have inside info??
I think the team will be:
15-Frans, 14-JP, 13-Jaque, 12-JDV, 11-Habana, 10-Butch, 9-FDP, 8-Spies, 7-Danie, 6-Deysel, 5-Matfield, 4-Bakkies, 3-Jannie, 2-Smit, 1-Beast. Bench: 16-Bismarck, 17-CJ, 18-Mostert, 19-Brussow, 20-Ruan, 21-De Jongh, 22-Morne Steyn
@wpw (Comment 3) :
So we only differ with Brussouw/Deysel..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 2) :
😯
I dont think Brussow will start. I may be wrong though!! 😉
@wpw (Comment 5) :
Its borderline..
You cant exactly start with a guy who has only played 20 minutes in the last 2 months..
I hope the Boks go with Richard’s choice of Brussow otherwise it might be painful watching our guys being beaten at the breakdown by everpresent Pocock.
Brussouw wont start, they wont risk it.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 8) :
Agree. I think we’re gonna thrash the Aussies this weekend. 😎
@wpw (Comment 9) : I’m not so sure of that. The Aussies have a strong starting lineup. If they weren’t planning to take this one seriously, they would have done a bit of experimenting.
Deans has been down that road of a heavy defeat in SA when they were looking ahead to a Bledisloe Cup decider. Somehow I don’t think he wants to go there again. Sensibly he wants to build momentum and get onto a positive high ahead of the RWC.
The worst thing that could happen is a rare Aussie victory on our soil. Alarm bells will followed the panic and crisis management will set in in the Bok camp. Who knows what crazy decisions Div and co will then start making.
@beet (Comment 10) :
I am quite confident that we will beat them. Yes they have a strong starting line up but we have home ground advantage, we’re playing our first choice team and more NB, we have lost our last two tests.
The guys will be out to prove a point no doubt.
Am I the only one expecting us to lose this match?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 12) : I never expect any team I support to lose a game.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 13) :
You don’t even get that funny feeling that “someone’s gonna get a hurt real bad”?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 14) : Sometimes, I’ve learnt to shut it out.I like the fact that I’m a one eyed fanatical retard.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 15) :
I pride myself in being a bit more unbiased, especially if I am writing on here..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) :
But there is nothing wrong with being fanatical.. That’s just not me..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) : Hehehe nah man I hear you and I can usely temper myself on the site but when its anthem time, its go time.
Boks to face Aus
15. Frans Steyn 14.JP Pietersen 13.Jaque Fourie 12.Jean de Villiers 11. Bryan Habana 10. Butch James 09. Fourie Du Preez 08. Pierre Spies 07. Danie
Rossouw 06. Heinrich Brussow 05. Victor Matfield 04. Bakkies Botha 03. Jannie Du Plessis 02. John Smit (c) 01. Tendai Mtawarira
16. Bismark Du Plessis 17. CJ Van der Linde 18. Gurthro Steenkamp 19. Gerhard Mostert 20. Jean Deysel 21. Francois Hougaard 22. Morne Steyn
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 18) :
I hear you..
Im still going to the game, sitting in the stands and bringing the boys home.. but I am also a betting man…
realistic team and man for man we should be better. i expect us to come out firing similar to firast test against B&I Lions in 09.
Would be interesting to see if the boks keep it tight coz the only time you can run at these wallabies is on the Highveld
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 20) : One time.I will be in PE next weekend.
@chucky (Comment 19) : Wouldve prefered kankoski as an extra loosie or even Johnson just to keep up that intensity rather than having another lock on bench. therefore would have used Danie as lock cover.
Dont know why we have players like Bakkies who always only play 45minutes which takes up place for another reserve.
Rather Danie and Matfield at lock
@chucky (Comment 19) : Is that official?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 20) : One thing to look forward to is that the ” B/C” team were able to starve the Ozzies of the ball for decent amounts of time in that first game, a bit more experience could easily have converted that into points.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 25) :
True that..
Im looking forward to an improved performance.. It should give us a bit more confidence in the team as supporters..
On attack: Stampkar rugby. 😥
On defense: Grab-at-air rugby. 😥
@chucky (Comment 19) : No JDJ ?
@rhineshark: comment27: lol hope not
Habana seems and sounds keen.hope he turns a corner in this test match.
Habana seems and sounds keen.hope he turns the corner in this test match.rediscover his form of old.
“Wallabies expect a forwards onslaught”.and right they are! Down quade cooper’s channel (evil).
@chucky: no player in world rugby quite “hits” a ruck like bakkies(legit or not ).