Div: Wallabies are favourites
After four victories out of their last five meetings against the Springboks, including back-to-back successes on South African soil, Australia will enter Sunday’s World Cup quarterfinal as favourites, according to Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
Some might view the Springboks, who finished on top of their strong pool after winning all their games, as having a stronger chance than Australia who finished second in their pool after going down to Ireland.
However, that is not the view of the Bok coach who is more than happy to claim the tag of underdogs.
“What I would like to keep in mind is that they did win the last four games [out of five against us],” De Villiers said ahead of the crunch playoff in Wellington.
“I think they drew enough energy and confidence from those four games to make them the favourites.”
Not even the shock 15-6 loss the Wallabies suffered against Ireland at Eden Park in the pool stages would have had any real influence to their superior status.
All the key players who missed that shock defeat were available for selection ahead of the third World Cup showdown between the great southern hemisphere rivals.
No team has ever won the William Ellis trophy after losing a match en route to the final. Nor has a reigning Tri-Nations champion had the honour of lifting the World Cup, and the Wallabies will have to break new ground if they are to lift the trophy for a record third time.
“History will be created this weekend and we desperately want our piece of it,” said a confident Australian coach Robbie Deans.
“There is no tomorrow unless you create one yourself.”
The last time these sides met, in Durban, the Wallabies survived a thundering start by their hosts before recording a tense 14-9 victory.
The Springboks looked flustered in the final 30 minutes of the match and a lack of game time was cited for the loss.
“If we look at the reasons why we couldn’t stay competitive for 80 minutes against them, those things are gone now,” De Villiers insisted.
“If we can get the same start and the same intensity, we will be able to keep it up for 80 minutes and it will be a great contest.”
While De Villiers had to reshuffle his side after losing centre Frans Steyn and lock Bakkies Botha to injury, Deans was able to select the exact same backline that saw his side home in Durban.
Wing Digby Ioane recovered from a broken thumb while centre Pat McCabe, who scored the only try in that match in Durban, was included in the team despite having only recently recovered from a partially broken shoulder.
De Villiers predicted a cracking match.
“It is going to be a tough game,” he said.
“It is going to be decided over the full 80 minutes and neither of the two teams is going to lie down.”
De Villiers, after selecting the most experienced team in Bok history, believed his seasoned campaigners held the key to their success in the knockout stages.
“That is why we brought the experienced guys to the World Cup, when we needed cool and calm heads, that’s what we got on the field and that is very important to us,” he said.
SAPA
