Wallabies must beat Boks to stay in Tri-Nations hunt

SYDNEY – Australia still have pretensions of overhauling New Zealand and winning this year’s Tri-Nations but that will be academic if they don’t handsomely beat the Springboks tomorrow.

The All Blacks are in the driving seat with a seven-point break on the Wallabies and facing the Australians in Auckland later this month before a two-Test tour to South Africa in August-September. The Wallabies are regrouping after their 13-9 loss to New Zealand in Brisbane last weekend but they must down the Springboks at Sydney’s Olympic stadium to keep in the frame, even though the unbeaten All Blacks look uncatchable.”There’s still a possibility if results go our way that we can win the Tri Nations,” coach John Connolly said.Australia thumped the Springboks by a record 49-0 in Brisbane on July 15 and embattled coach Jake White is urging his players to remain positive in the face of injuries to key players and a run of miserable results.South Africa haven’t beaten the Wallabies in Sydney in four internationals since 1993 so a turnaround will be a difficult assignment.”A lot of our top players are still at home and we haven’t had them this year but stranger things have happened in the world of sport and if I don’t believe it can be done, then it won’t be done,” White said.”So you’ve got to keep positive.The players know it is a difficult task.We played in Sydney last year and we were comprehensively beaten in the same stadium with a very, very good Springbok team – in fact, a Springbok team that ended up winning a lot more games last year than they lost.”So that is how sport works, and that’s part of the challenge.”Much will depend on how the Springboks counter the playmaking skills of Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham, who ran the show in the six-try rout of the Springboks at Lang Park three weeks ago.How they do that has forced White to deny any premeditated skulduggery to stop Larkham, described by New Zealand coach Graham Henry as the most experienced navigator in world rugby.”Let’s be honest, every guy that understands rugby will know that the whole game (against) Australia is based on what Larkham does,” White said.”I mean, he played really, really well against us in the first Test and on the weekend the All Blacks got to cut him off and obviously he didn’t play as well as he did against us.White has made two changes to his starting line-up, with winger Akona Ndungane back from injury and lock Johann Muller.Connolly, anticipating a rugged forwards’ contest, has handed 120-kilogram (264-pound) flanker Wycliff Palu – dubbed “the human wrecking ball” in the Australian media – his first Test start at No.8 at the expense of Scott Fava.It will be George Gregan’s 56th Test as Wallabies’ captain, overtaking the previous record held by John Eales.Teams Australia (15 to 1): Chris Latham; Mark Gerrard, Stirling Mortlock, Matt Giteau, Lote Tuqiri; Stephen Larkham, George Gregan (captain); Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Rocky Elsom; Dan Vickerman, Nathan Sharpe; Rodney Blake, Tai McIsaac, Greg Holmes.Reserves: Jeremy Paul, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm, Phil Waugh, Sam Cordingley, Mat Rogers, Clyde Rathbone South Africa: Percy Montgomery; Akona Ndungane, Jacque Fourie, Wynand Olivier, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Fourie du Preez; Jacques Cronje, Juan Smith, Solly Tyibilika; Victor Matfield, Johann Muller; CJ van der Linde, John Smit (captain), Os du Randt.Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepele, Eddie Andrews, Albert van der Berg, Joe van Niekerk, Ricky Januarie, Meyer Bosman, Jaco van der Westhuyzen.Referee: Joel Jutge (FRA) Nampa-AFPThe Wallabies are regrouping after their 13-9 loss to New Zealand in Brisbane last weekend but they must down the Springboks at Sydney’s Olympic stadium to keep in the frame, even though the unbeaten All Blacks look uncatchable.”There’s still a possibility if results go our way that we can win the Tri Nations,” coach John Connolly said.Australia thumped the Springboks by a record 49-0 in Brisbane on July 15 and embattled coach Jake White is urging his players to remain positive in the face of injuries to key players and a run of miserable results.South Africa haven’t beaten the Wallabies in Sydney in four internationals since 1993 so a turnaround will be a difficult assignment.”A lot of our top players are still at home and we haven’t had them this year but stranger things have happened in the world of sport and if I don’t believe it can be done, then it won’t be done,” White said.”So you’ve got to keep positive.The players know it is a difficult task.We played in Sydney last year and we were comprehensively beaten in the same stadium with a very, very good Springbok team – in fact, a Springbok team that ended up winning a lot more games last year than they lost.”So that is how sport works, and that’s part of the challenge.”Much will depend on how the Springboks counter the playmaking skills of Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham, who ran the show in the six-try rout of the Springboks at Lang Park three weeks ago.How they do that has forced White to deny any premeditated skulduggery to stop Larkham, described by New Zealand coach Graham Henry as the most experienced navigator in world rugby.”Let’s be honest, every guy that understands rugby will know that the whole game (against) Australia is based on what Larkham does,” White said.”I mean, he played really, really well against us in the first Test and on the weekend the All Blacks got to cut him off and obviously he didn’t play as well as he did against us.White has made two changes to his starting line-up, with winger Akona Ndungane back from injury and lock Johann Muller.Connolly, anticipating a rugged forwards’ contest, has handed 120-kilogram (264-pound) flanker Wycliff Palu – dubbed “the human wrecking ball” in the Australian media – his first Test start at No.8 at the expense of Scott Fava.It will be George Gregan’s 56th Test as Wallabies’ captain, overtaking the previous record held by John Eales.Teams Australia (15 to 1): Chris Latham; Mark Gerrard, Stirling Mortlock, Matt Giteau, Lote Tuqiri; Stephen Larkham, George Gregan (captain); Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Rocky Elsom; Dan Vickerman, Nathan Sharpe; Rodney Blake, Tai McIsaac, Greg Holmes.Reserves: Jeremy Paul, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm, Phil Waugh, Sam Cordingley, Mat Rogers, Clyde Rathbone South Africa: Percy Montgomery; Akona Ndungane, Jacque Fourie, Wynand Olivier, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Fourie du Preez; Jacques Cronje, Juan Smith, Solly Tyibilika; Victor Matfield, Johann Muller; CJ van der Linde, John Smit (captain), Os du Randt.Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepele, Eddie Andrews, Albert van der Berg, Joe van Niekerk, Ricky Januarie, Meyer Bosman, Jaco van der Westhuyzen.Referee: Joel Jutge (FRA) Nampa-AFP