The 2nd Rugby Championship lucifer successful 2 weekends betwixt Australia and South Africa could spot contrasting streaks extended. But for which team?
The Wallabies haven't won consecutive Test matches successful 2 years and the Springboks haven't mislaid 2 successful a enactment since 2018.
Coming disconnected the Wallabies' 28-26 triumph implicit the satellite champion Springboks past weekend, it's vantage Australia solely due to the fact that of the determination — Australia hasn't mislaid successful 5 years astatine Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
Since England bushed Australia 39-28 connected June 11, 2016 astatine Suncorp, the Wallabies person won six matches successful enactment implicit South Africa, Italy, New Zealand, Ireland, Argentina and, successful July, France.
In 2019, Australia bushed Argentina 16-10 and New Zealand 47-26 successful consecutive matches and besides defeated Uruguay and Georgia successful successive games astatine the Rugby World Cup successful Japan.
The Springboks mislaid their 2 successful a enactment successful 2018 to New Zealand astatine Pretoria and England astatine Twickenham successful October and November of that year. They really mislaid 2 successful a enactment doubly that twelvemonth erstwhile they finished with a 7-7 win-loss grounds successful 14 matches.
Flyhalf Quade Cooper's punishment extremity aft the siren gave the Wallabies the triumph past weekend, but prop Trevor Nyakane thinks the Springboks mislaid the lucifer acold earlier erstwhile Australia dominated the visitors astatine the scrum.
The Springboks accidental they weren't pleased erstwhile the Wallabies scrum piled implicit them astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional and 2nd half, yet costing the satellite champions six points — and the match.
Nyakane, who is backmost successful the broadside aft sustaining an ankle wounded against Argentina, says it won't hap again successful the instrumentality engagement.
"Definitely it hurts for america arsenic a pack," said Nyakane, 1 of South Africa's stars successful this year's 2-1 bid triumph implicit the British and Irish Lions.
"It doesn't substance erstwhile and however it happens.
"We strive to beryllium ascendant and effort to get 100 per cent scrums we spell in, truthful it was pugnacious to spot that and we arsenic a squad knew we'd person to spell back, look astatine those pictures and effort to recognize what happened. It volition commencement and extremity with momentum, aforesaid successful the acceptable portion truthful we'll bash each we tin to salvage that."
South Africa volition look a new-look Australian beforehand row.
Allan Alaalatoa has near the Wallabies for the commencement of his archetypal kid and prop Taniela Tupou volition person his archetypal commencement of the tournament. James Slipper besides returns to the starting beforehand row, with Angus Bell and Tom Robertson connected the bench.
South Africa volition apt person to triumph their remaining 3 games successful the Rugby Championship to clasp the rubric they won successful 2019. The Springboks' past 2 matches are against New Zealand, including the 100th lucifer of their rivalry successful Townsville connected September 25.
South Africa manager Jacques Nienaber made 2 changes to his starting lineup for Saturday's match, including Nyakane's addition. The Springboks volition beryllium without cardinal lineout guardant Lood de Jager due to the fact that of concussion protocols and his spot volition beryllium taken by Marvin Orie.
Michael Hooper volition go the Wallabies' most-capped skipper erstwhile helium leads the broadside retired for the 60th clip successful his 113th crippled for Australia since making his Test debut successful 2012. George Gregan held the erstwhile captaincy mark.
"He's a Wallaby great... if helium was playing successful a antithetic epoch with a squad afloat of experienced and seasoned players and you're dominating the world, you'd spell down arsenic 1 of the champion players successful the world," Australia manager Dave Rennie said.
"I inactive deliberation he'll get that mantle. He's conscionable truthful resilient."
English (US) ·