According to Jake White, the Wallabies are unlikely to overcome the Springboks in Perth tonight.
Jake has a lot invested in Australian rugby. It is possible that he is next in line to be tapped for the slot that Robbie Deans will be vacating perhaps sooner rather than later.
In a recent article, White said that if the Wallabies want to get into the win column, the forwards will have to be far more imposing against the Boks than they were against the All Blacks.
Reading into that opinion, it would appear that White feels that the Wallabies forwards will be up against a superior pack. And he’s dead right.
He must also know that Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer was just playing the old underdog game when he described the Wallaby backs as brilliant.
Anybody who watched the last two Bledisloe games knows that brilliant they ain’t.
They’re not even competent.
We have a halfback who in the red zone chooses to bash it up through the forwards until one of them loses possession, a 5/8 who looks vaguely confused these days, a yawn of a midfield, an excellent winger who only gets the ball close to the scrum, and a fullback who is in the mother of all slumps.
In the forwards, Tatafu Polota-Nau comes on for 50 minutes when he’ll be replaced by the poor-scrummaging Saia Fainga’a. Radike Samo is another 50-minute man.
Dave Dennis is not yet of international standard, and the props have to contend with Jannie and The Beast.
The Boks also have Duane Vermuelen, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee and Eben Etzebeth, and just to rub in it, can call on Flip Van der Merwe and the tank-like Patric Cilliers if they want.
Jake White has new ties to Australia, but we’ll forgive him if his money is wisely on his compatriots.
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.
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