New coach Jake White has put the heat on his forwards to provide the Springboks with the winning edge against Australia in Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby Test in Perth.
White hasn’t held back in pre-match verbal joustings with Australia’s master of mind games Eddie Jones and expects his big Bok pack to ride roughshod over the Wallabies.
He believes the Australian pack is vulnerable with the inclusion of bantam flankers George Smith and Phil Waugh, instead of Fijian-born impact forward Radike Samo, and predicts his tight-five will run the show at Subiaco Oval.
White said he plans to shut down Australia’s playmaking flyhalf Stephen Larkham by pressuring the Wallabies’ forwards.
”I don’t think it will just be a case of closing down Larkham; it will be a case of dominating up front, which will also give them bad ball — that’s the way we can do it,” White said.
”We can put them under pressure at the line-outs, but not only the line-outs. With this pack of forwards we have picked we obviously back ourselves in all first phases.”
White said the Wallabies, by choosing the smaller Smith and Waugh, will be at a disadvantage in the line-outs with Jones sticking with just two nominated jumpers in Justin Harrison and Nathan Sharpe.
”I’m a little bit surprised because obviously at line-out time they’re going to be a little bit more vulnerable,” he said.
Jones said the decision to start Smith ahead of Samo was a tough one.
”Radike has played well but we believe against South Africa, George will give us a higher work rate,” said Jones.
White, whose team were heartbroken to lose 23-21 in the final minute to the All Blacks in Christchurch last Saturday, said Australia’s scrum will be no stronger with hooker Jeremy Paul replacing the suspended Brendan Cannon.
White was confident South Africa’s tight five will do the same to the Australians.
”I think so, especially now that they don’t have Cannon this weekend,” White said.
”I think Cannon was obviously keeping Jeremy Paul out for his scrummaging abilities and obviously adds more weight in the front row.
”If you look now you’ve got Jeremy Paul, Bill Young and Al Baxter, it’s a much weaker front row than it would have been with Cannon in the middle there.”
Although Jones believes South Africa have a much better disciplinary record under White than last year under Rudolf Straeuli, there are memories of last year’s corresponding fierce Tri-Nations match in Brisbane when Jones branded South Africa a disgrace.
Cannon claimed he was bitten and eye-gouged and Springbok lock Bakkies Botha was subsequently suspended for eight weeks for attacking Cannon’s face.
White defended Botha and returned fire on Australia.
”He’s [Botha] played for the last couple of months and he hasn’t got a yellow card since that incident, not even in our domestic competition,” White said before pointing out Cannon is now under suspension for punching All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu.
”Brendan Cannon punched a guy in the face … it’s quite ironic that the same guy [Cannon] was in a pub brawl a couple of months ago, yet people ask me about Bakkies Botha.”
Cannon was attacked in a Sydney pub and required surgery after being hit in the face with a glass in what he described as an unprovoked attack.
Skipper George Gregan has overcome a shoulder injury and will play his 100th Test for Australia.
Gregan said the South Africans had been unlucky to lose their opening match in New Zealand last Saturday.
”They’ll take a lot out of that game and we’ll be fully aware that they will play well — and they always play well in Perth,” he said. — Sapa-AFP