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The Wallabies play the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday as both sides look to get their Rugby Championships back on track.
Both sides suffered losses in their second games of the tournament, both know that this is a key game and both have rung the changes in search of the win.
For the Wallabies they will have to shake off a tough first couple of rounds. It’s arguably the hardest job in international rugby to have to play the All Blacks in the opening two games of a six-match competition, but more than the losses, the poor performances from the men in gold have fans concerned.
Defensive weaknesses, fragile set piece, ineffectiveness at the breakdown and players looking unfit are all issues that the Aussies faced and they have to put some of these to bed quickly.
Their set piece was better in the second Bledisloe match but of course it almost couldn’t be worse than game one.
Both packs in this game will be wanting to dominate the other upfront and show the world that they are to be feared.
The Wallaby front five will need to work very hard as a unit to get the upper hand over the powerful Boks and it should be a cracking battle.
If the Aussies can also then bring on Taniela Tupou in the second half then they might be able to cause some real problems for the South Africans.
Tupou is being given plenty of time to confirm that he’s fully recovered from his hamstring injury and the Wallabies could really do with his impact.
The back row battle will be an interesting one to watch. David Pocock has continued to impress even in the big losses to the All Blacks and the late news that he’s out through a neck injury is a big issue for the Wallabies.
This makes it even more important that Michael Hooper finds his way back into some stellar performances for his side.
In the first two rounds he’s ended up playing in some very wide positions and that’s not where the Wallabies need him.
Pocock’s replacement – Pete Samu – will make his first test start and Michael Cheika will be expecting a lot from him.
The Wallabies back line sees some big changes from Bledisloe 2. Bernard Foley has been dropped to the bench and will be replaced by Kurtley Beale in the No.10 shirt while Matt Toomua will start in the No.12 position.
Michael Cheika has said that Foley is not doing anything wrong but he must also know that his fly half has not been delivering for quite a while and a change was needed.
Obviously Beale is an experienced player, but he hasn’t played at No.10 at the international level for a while so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Will Genia has been off the pace so far and his battle with Faf de Klerk will be exciting. Faf brought an intensity and pace to his game that tore England to pieces back in June and the Aussies will have to watch that he doesn’t take control of the game on Saturday.
Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale have both also been quiet this championship. Despite the odd glimpse of attacking flair, neither has shone yet.
The Pumas demonstrated how the Boks can be vulnerable out wide and Foley and Beale will want to put attacking pressure on the Boks as early as possible.
There is some good news for Wallabies fans with Israel Folau being passed fit and starting at full back.
His pace and ability to run great lines are perfectly suited at attacking the weaker outside backs in the Boks line up.
Add to that his aerial ability and the Wallabies will be desperate for him to have a big game.
The Boks meanwhile have some hard work to do after losing to the Pumas in Mendoza. They were nowhere near as clinical as they were in game one and the Wallabies need to be careful of the bounce back.
Away wins are the point of difference in the Rugby Championship and if the Boks can steal one in Brisbane that would be significant.
Given this, it’s strange to see that Springboks coach Rassie Erasums has dropped a number of big names to the bench.
Handre Pollard, Malcolm Marx and Tendai Mtawarira all warm the bench. The Marx switch is especially odd – there’s no doubt that he is one of, if not the, best hooker in the world and the Boks need him to have a huge game on Saturday.
When this guy gets going he’s almost impossible to stop and his play in both the tight and loose is a joy to behold. So it’s very odd to see him on the bench.
This Boks side is still growing and recovering from some recent dark times but there’s only a year to go until the World Cup and the rate of recovery needs to be quick.
On the other hand the Wallabies seem to be in a bit of a plateau period. Despite a fair amount of growing support in the way that the Super Rugby teams support the Wallabies and the coaching set up at the international level, performances have not improved since the 2015 World Cup.
Not improving in three years is hard to defend and if the Wallabies really struggle in this Rugby Championship then who knows what will happen ahead of the Spring Internationals.
This is a crucial game for the Wallabies. They must win first and foremost. The performance is important too for sure, but the win is everything.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Prediction
This is going to be a very close game and the team who can bring the right balance of control and attack will be the ones who walk away with the points.
With the Wallabies at home they have an important advantage and with some key Boks starters not actually starting, the Aussies should get home.
Australia to win by 7 points.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.