Wallabies captain James Slipper says the Australian pack must brace for a brutal battle from the opening whistle or risk letting the Springboks “bash us up” as Test rugby returns to Adelaide.
Slow starts have been the Wallabies’ Achilles heel this year; Dave Rennie’s side has lost the first 25 minutes in each of the five Tests they have played. Only twice have they managed to mount a successful comeback, and Slipper concedes another lacklustre opening could prove costly against a star-studded South African side.
“It’s been spoken about, the start of the game. Hopefully, we can put South Africa under a bit of heat early,” Slipper said before the Wallabies’ first Test in Adelaide since 2004.
“It comes down to creating opportunities and taking them. We’re a team that, especially in these last five games, we’ve created a lot but probably haven’t had the polish to put them away and take points when they’re on offer.”
Much of that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of 22-year-old five-eighth Noah Lolesio. He’s earned a recall to the starting side as Rennie looks for an answer to the Wallabies’ play-making woes.
But Slipper has put the onus on the Wallabies’ forwards to out-muscle the Springboks as Rennie opts for a six-two split on the bench to counter one of the most menacing packs in world rugby, vowing to deliver clean ball to allow Lolesio to play on the front foot.
Australia’s combined teams – the Wallabies and Wallaroos – before Saturday’s double-header in Adelaide.Credit:Getty
“Being a five-eighth in a rugby team is probably the most important position. One thing I know about Noah from playing with him at the Brumbies is he is a confident bloke, so the occasion won’t get to him,” Slipper said.
“For us as teammates, we’ve just got to win the battle up front. We’ve got to be physical. We know where South Africa are coming, they’re going to come with a big set-piece focus trying to really bash us up in the middle. They’ll kick a lot, so it’s about nullifying their kicking game and giving Noah some clean ball.”
Rugby Australia is anticipating a crowd of more than 34,000 for an international double-header at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, with the Wallabies to host South Africa in The Rugby Championship after the Wallaroos face New Zealand.
The Wallabies return to the scene of their biggest win – Adelaide hosted Australia’s 142-0 victory over Namibia during the 2003 World Cup – desperate to bounce back from a troubled tour of Argentina.
Captain Michael Hooper flew home for mental health reasons on the eve of the first Test in Mendoza, while Quade Cooper headlined a list of Wallabies stars lost to injury during the first leg of The Rugby Championship.
In Hooper’s absence, the 119-Test veteran Slipper assumed the captaincy. The 33-year-old – who often jokes about being old and broken – was happy to shoulder the extra responsibility, having already been relied upon heavily on both sides of the scrum.
“That Argentinian tour was one of the toughest I’ve been on. We had plenty of blokes drop out of the team after it had been named, we had our captain leave the group,” Slipper said.
“There was a fair bit of adversity there. From adversity, you grow stronger. That’s where I’ve pushed the team. We get challenged every day, so it’s about turning up every day and trying to get better. We go into the game with confidence, and that’s all I can ask of the boys.
“I have been in touch with Hoops and I don’t think there is a timeline on his return, and nor should there. The important thing is Hoops takes the time that’s needed for him to be all right to come back.”
Watch every match of The Rugby Championship on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Continues this Saturday with Wallabies v South Africa (Saturday 3pm AEST) and New Zealand v Argentina (Saturday 5:45pm AEST). All matches streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
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