Australia v South Africa: Five talking points as the Boks head to Brisbane to take on the Wallabies
By Sky Sports Rugby Union
Last Updated: 08/09/18 10:51am
The Springboks head to Suncorp Stadium to take on the Wallabies this Saturday in the Rugby Championship, live on Sky Sports Action from 10.30am.
Both sides are in urgent need of a win, Australia having lost their June series to Ireland and still without a win in this year's Rugby Championship - though they've only played two games and both were against the All Blacks.
South Africa had a better June in that they beat Eddie Jones' England, but after kicking off with a win over Argentina in Durban in round one of the Rugby Championship, they fell to the Pumas in the away fixture in Mendoza a week later, a performance that coach Rassie Erasmus slammed as "terrible" and "unacceptable".
Now the two sides face off in Brisbane, but who will win? We look at five talking points of the third-round clash...
Coaches under pressure
It's still a bit soon to say Erasmus is under pressure to keep his job; he's only lost three games in charge of the Boks. However, since he's only been at the helm for six matches, his superiors will be keeping a close eye on South Africa's results a year out from the World Cup.
Erasmus' tenure started with a loss to Wales in Washington DC with a scratch side, then the series win over England which included a defeat in the dead-rubber third Test.
A pair of victories against Argentina would have ensured he was ticking along well, but the defeat changes the complexion of his time in charge. If the Boks lose to Australia this week, then next week they have to beat New Zealand to avoid a return of one win from the previous five fixtures.
Losses over the next two weeks would definitely put some pressure on Erasmus, who would then have a success rate of 38 per cent after eight games in charge.
Cheika, on the other hand, is under pressure right now. The series loss to Ireland was close, and given Ireland's status as the second best team in the world, there was no shame in it. The same can be said of the two losses to the All Blacks.
That said, there is growing pressure to start getting results, and Cheika will see a home game against the Springboks as one his side can win, and potentially lift the cloud hovering over the camp.
Beale to pull the strings
Kurtley Beale will start at fly-half for the first time in four years on Saturday, having been mostly deployed at inside centre or full-back during Cheika's tenure.
With regular No 10 Bernard Foley low on confidence and trounced by his opposite number Beauden Barrett in rounds one and two, Cheika feels the time is right to give Beale a chance.
"I thought Kurtley deserves an opportunity back in the 10 jersey," Cheika said. "He's had it before and I think he's matured a lot as a player and person and I certainly trust him to be in charge of the team there."
Although the personnel around him have changed, a glance at the 76-cap utility's record at fly-half might beg the question of why he has not been used there more. In his nine starts in the position, the Wallabies won four of their matches, lost three and drew twice against the All Blacks.
His last match at No 10 under Cheika's predecessor Ewen McKenzie was one to forget, however, a 50-21 humiliation by the All Blacks at Eden Park.
He shouldered much of the blame for that and was dumped to the bench, with Foley owning the position for the next four years. Can he right those wrongs against the Boks?
Unstoppable force meets immovable object
When Erasmus unveiled his side for Saturday, he said the Springboks were aware of the threat at the breakdown posed by the hosts, in particular David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
"The Wallabies are known for their abilities at the breakdown and we will have to be accurate and disciplined in those areas," said the Bok boss.
Pocock has since withdrawn from the team due to a neck injury, but Hooper - one of the best fetchers in the world - will still have plenty of South African eyeballs on him whenever he is around the ball at the breakdown.
On the other hand South Africa have no specialist fetcher in their team, with Siya Kolisi seen by Erasmus as more of a blindside flanker, and Pieter-Stef du Toit in the team for the grunt work and Warren Whiteley picked as a ball carrier.
Additionally, Malcolm Marx usually offers a breakdown option to Erasmus, but he has been demoted to the bench this week.
It appears as though Erasmus is trusting his big forwards to clear out Hooper and his team-mates whenever they get their hands on the ball, but it seems a gamble to go into the Test without a jackal to counter Hooper and co.
Fatigue or lack of concentration?
Video analysis of Australia's capitulation to the All Blacks in back-to-back matches has made for tough viewing for the Wallabies as they search for answers ahead of Saturday's game; still scratching their heads over their fumbling, turnover-ridden displays that saw them torn apart by half-time against the world champions in Sydney and Auckland.
Winger Dane Haylett-Petty put their struggles down to mental lapses last week, denying a lack of fitness had played a part in their rapid surrenders, but this week Izack Rodda has said the side crumbled due to fatigue.
"It's definitely hard to watch [the video] when you see yourself there and you look like you're just going that one pace as opposed to really sprinting," Rodda said.
"It's hard to watch but it's also good to see that and address that for the next game.
"It's definitely not a confidence thing, I just think it's a combination of fatigue and maybe just a little bit of mental-switching-off. But I think the big one is fatigue, that's about it."
Whether the Aussies' issues are rooted in a lack of fitness or not being switched on mentally, they will want to prove they have buried that problem after 80 minutes in Brisbane.
Bok bench looking strong
Marx is joined on the bench by a strong set of South African players. Beast Mtawarira will make an impact in the loose, as will RG Snyman, while Francois Louw will be valuable at the tackle area and Wilco Louw is a solid scrummager.
Handre Pollard will be ready to make an impact in the second half, rounding off a strong set of replacements along with Cheslin Kolbe and Embrose Papier.
Perhaps Erasmus has taken Australia's poor second-half performances to heart, trusting some of the fringe players to keep the Boks in the game from the outset, and the regular starters to win it for them late on.
Whether or not it is the thinking of the Boks, and whether or not that is the right call in itself, Saturday's visitors really do have the edge in terms of replacements.
The Wallabies have Bernard Foley among their substitutes, but the other bench players do not have the international experience that the Waratahs man does.
Expect the Boks to pile on the points after the break, but they will do well to make sure they aren't frantically chasing the game at that point.
Teams
Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett Petty, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia; 1 Scott Sio, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 4 Rory Arnold, 5 Adam Coleman, 6 Lukhan Tui, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 8 Pete Samu.
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Izack Rodda, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Joe Powell, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damien de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk; 1 Steven Kitshoff, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter Steph du Toit, 8 Warren Whiteley.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Cheslin Kolbe.