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Australia have yet again lost the Bledisloe Cup after succumbing to a 12-40 defeat to New Zealand at the Eden Park in Auckland. It has been 16 years since they last won the Bledisloe Cup as their poor run against New Zealand continued. It would take a miracle to stop the Kiwis from winning the Rugby Championship yet again but the Wallabies can salvage some pride by beating the Springboks in Perth on 8th September.
The Boks also lost their previous match against Argentina in Mendoza and would look to regain some lost ground by beating the Wallabies. A win against Australia in Perth would be a lifeline for the Boks as they would retain a slim chance of winning the championship. Therefore, it should be an absorbing match and a very important one, too. Australian coach Michael Cheika’s job is also under the scanner and he would find it very difficult to sustain it if his team loses against the Boks.
We look at the 3 things which could help Australia beat the South Africans:
1. Coping with set-pieces
The Springboks are a fearsome proposition from set-pieces. Their front-row is probably the strongest in the world as the likes of Malcolm Marx and Tendai Mtawrira would fancy their chances against a weaker Australian front-row. Australia have not managed to replace their ex-captain Stephen Moore in their front-row yet.
Still, their forwards came up with a much-improved performance at the scrums against the All Blacks in their last test as Michael Cheika made 2 changes in the front-row. However, Marx is one of the form players in world rugby now after his stupendous performance in the recently concluded Super Rugby. He also scored 2 tries against Argentina in South Africa’s first test against them. The Wallabies’ defence might find him very difficult to handle. Marx and his teammates would be looking to score tries from the scrums inside the opposition 22.
Australia also lost 6 of the 7 line-outs against the All Blacks in the first test but performed better at Eden Park. South Africa would pose a threat from the line-outs too as they tend to employ the rolling maul very well from the offensive line-outs.
2. Ability to score more tries
Australia did concede 12 tries in the 2 matches against New Zealand and it was the main reason behind their humiliating defeats. However, one cannot overlook the fact that they managed to score only 3 tries themselves. The fact that Scrum-half Will Genia scampered through the All Blacks’ defence to score one of those tries further underlines the ineptness of the Australian wingers.
Marika Koroibete had a decent debut season for the Wallabies in 2017-18 as he managed to score 5 tries for them. He would fancy his chances of scoring tries against a relatively slower Boks’ defence. Reece Hodge should also be a contender for scoring tries as he scored one in Auckland. However, Israel Folau remains the Wallabies’ most potent attacking weapon and if he is fit to play on Saturday, the Wallabies’ fans would want him to create holes in the South African defence with his surging runs from the deep.
3. Strengthening the defence
Australia were demolished by the scintillating Kiwi counter-attacks in the last 2 matches. Beuaden Barret scored 4 tries alone in the last test as he proved to be too fast for a sluggish Wallabies’ defence. Most of those tries were scored from turnover balls and the Australian defence had no answer to the swift Kiwi counter-attacks. The tendency to concede tries has been prominent since the last season as Australia conceded 8 tries against Scotland in 2017.
There have been too many misplaced passes and missed tackles by Australia in the recent tests and Cheika would have to address that issue. Australia missed more than 40 tackles in their last test. While defending a break-down, at least 2-3 players should remain behind the main defensive line and protect the try line. The other players should also pick themselves fast and be in a position to defend after losing possession.
Centres like Kurtley Beale should also go for some diving tackles or tackles from behind. They should try to learn something from a past great like Brian O’Driscoll who used to protect his own 22 fiercely with his forceful tackles. South Africa would not be nearly as fast as the All Blacks in their attacks but Australia would still have to defend better if they are to beat the Springboks.
