THERE'S no doubt that a Test is won upfront, which explains why Australian coach Robbie Deans has made three changes to his forward pack up against the Springboks at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein, tomorrow.
With arguably the best backline in world rugby at his disposal, the Wallabies came unstuck against the Boks last week in Pretoria when the bigger and stronger home side eventually wore them down in the scrums and set pieces.
Deans is not taking that chance this week, and with the Mandela Plate up for grabs by the winner, there is still a lot to play for.
At hooker Stephen Moore is back in the fray for his 50th Test appearance, at lock Mark Chisholm replaces Dean Mumm and at No 8 rookie Ben McCalman replaces Richard Brown. Both Brown and Mumm could yet take in tomorrow's proceedings after being named among the substitutes.
"All three of the players coming into the pack will offer us energy," Deans says. "Stephen and Mark have experience playing in games where the circumstances were not too dissimilar to what we will encounter on Saturday night. They know what to expect and - perhaps even more importantly - know what is required in order to be successful," the coach said.
McCalman is a bit of an unknown quantity. Playing for Western Force in the Super 14, this will be his first run-on Test after previously coming on to the field as a replacement on two occasions.
Deans said: "Ben did a great job coming off the bench for us last weekend and we are expecting more of the same, this time from the start. Not only does he bring physicality, he also offers us an additional line-out option due to his extensive background playing as a six or in the second row."
Another player making his 50th appearance in the gold jersey of Australia is wing Drew Mitchell, who began his career back in 2005.
Mitchell was unlucky not to score in the opening moments of last week's Test - subsequent TV coverage confirmed he did cross the line for a try - but was busy throughout the game.
The backline is the same as last week, with a line-up that outplayed their opponents with clever use of the little possession they had. Tomorrow Deans will be banking on his forwards to lay the foundation for his backline to put an end once and for all their terrible run of playing at altitude.
- Kickoff is at 5pm and the game will be shown live on SuperSport 1 while SABC2 will screen it at 6.30pm.
Deans adds steel to pack
THERE'S no doubt that a Test is won upfront, which explains why Australian coach Robbie Deans has made three changes to his forward pack up against the Springboks at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein, tomorrow.
With arguably the best backline in world rugby at his disposal, the Wallabies came unstuck against the Boks last week in Pretoria when the bigger and stronger home side eventually wore them down in the scrums and set pieces.
Deans is not taking that chance this week, and with the Mandela Plate up for grabs by the winner, there is still a lot to play for.
At hooker Stephen Moore is back in the fray for his 50th Test appearance, at lock Mark Chisholm replaces Dean Mumm and at No 8 rookie Ben McCalman replaces Richard Brown. Both Brown and Mumm could yet take in tomorrow's proceedings after being named among the substitutes.
"All three of the players coming into the pack will offer us energy," Deans says. "Stephen and Mark have experience playing in games where the circumstances were not too dissimilar to what we will encounter on Saturday night. They know what to expect and - perhaps even more importantly - know what is required in order to be successful," the coach said.
McCalman is a bit of an unknown quantity. Playing for Western Force in the Super 14, this will be his first run-on Test after previously coming on to the field as a replacement on two occasions.
Deans said: "Ben did a great job coming off the bench for us last weekend and we are expecting more of the same, this time from the start. Not only does he bring physicality, he also offers us an additional line-out option due to his extensive background playing as a six or in the second row."
Another player making his 50th appearance in the gold jersey of Australia is wing Drew Mitchell, who began his career back in 2005.
Mitchell was unlucky not to score in the opening moments of last week's Test - subsequent TV coverage confirmed he did cross the line for a try - but was busy throughout the game.
The backline is the same as last week, with a line-up that outplayed their opponents with clever use of the little possession they had. Tomorrow Deans will be banking on his forwards to lay the foundation for his backline to put an end once and for all their terrible run of playing at altitude.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos