The Wallabies must beat the Springboks in Perth this Saturday July 19 or their hopes of winning the Tri Nations will become almost impossible.
The World Champion Springboks go to Perth after defeating the All Blacks in Dunedin, their first win at Carisbrook ever – and their first win in New Zealand in 10 years. The 28–30 victory puts South Africa back on top of the IRB international rankings – a position taken from them by New Zealand when they won the first Test on home soil in Wellington two weeks ago.
It is crucial to win home games in the Tri Nations because, as the New Zealand statistics show, away wins are rare.
As well, the Wallabies have had a poor preparation for the difficult Tri Nations campaign.
Following a hard game against the Irish, they played two Tests against a second-string French side. Meanwhile, their rivals – the All Blacks and the Springboks – have just fought two tough games in New Zealand.
Then, a week after playing the Springboks, the Wallabies must play the All Blacks in Sydney, where the New Zealand team will be intensely motivated following their home loss to the Springboks. That means the Wallabies are at risk of losing their first two games – both at home.
Epic Battles
For the record, the two games between the Springboks and the All Blacks were epic encounters. Australia may be able to match that standard, though this is debatable. However, they haven’t had the opportunity to test themselves at that level so far this season. This means they enter the Perth match with no sense of certainty about their own ability.
Further, the All Blacks have lost 15 top players who opted to play overseas following their dismal performance in the World Cup in France last year – yet they are looking good. The Wallabies are rebuilding also. And they have many promising young players coming through. However, leading into a match, potential is worth less than proven ability – especially in the cauldron of Tri Nations rugby.
But underdogs continually triumph in sport – and of all the world rugby sides, the Wallabies revel in that role. So the difficulty of the challenge is in some respects a great motivating factor – and an against-the-odds victory would inspire great confidence in the Australian side.
Their new coach, New Zealander Robbie Deans, is the ideal man to lead the Wallabies. He was rejected as the All Black coach this year to the horror of many New Zealanders...probably most New Zealanders. He is widely considered to be the best coach in the world, having just finished a stint with the Canterbury Crusaders, the most successful Super 14 side.
Expectations
That means the Wallaby preparation will be sound – and it means the attitude of the players will be realistic. However, the task remains huge.
Taking a step back, no one could expect the Wallabies to hit peak form this year. Deans has only been coach for three games, though his impact is apparent already. So credible losses to the All Blacks and the Springboks would be acceptable.
Further, with the pool of young talent, the Wallabies will get better. So the game will be fascinating for two reasons. They are:
- The Wallabies could win against the odds, which would be sensational.
- At the very least, logic says fans will see the genesis of a new, potentially all-conquering Wallaby side.
Even though he is a New Zealander, Deans epitomises the running approach that used to be a Wallaby hallmark. It has been lacking for several years, a fact that has annoyed fans and infuriated commentators. So, leading into the Perth Tri Nations opener, there is renewed interest in the series – and a great deal of good will towards Deans and his Wallabies.
