'We need more': Tupou gets extra motivation to bully Boks
SPOTLIGHT: Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie had a strong message for Taniela Tupou ahead of their clash against the Springboks in Adelaide in Round Three of the Rugby Championship.
The 26-year-old prop produced a poor performance in Australia’s 17-48 defeat to Argentina in San Juan and he has now been demoted to the bench for Saturday’s clash.
However, with South Africa boasting a massive pack, Rennie is demanding more from powerhouse Queensland prop when he takes to the field later in the game.
“We need more out of him,” Rennie said on Thursday.
“He’s well aware of that and he is pretty disappointed with his effort in the second [Argentina] Test.
“We know he’s a very good scrummager but we expect him to dominate with and without the ball as well and he was disappointing in those areas.
“The repercussion for that is that he comes off the bench.”
Meanwhile, Rennie has also opened up on the decision to start Reece Hodge at fullback for the Test.
The Wallabies coach felt the Melbourne utility back was well-suited to counter South Africa’s plan to play a territory game.
“South Africa’s got a good kicking game and they will back their D [defence] so we’ve got to make sure we can win that air battle,” said Rennie.
“Hodgey at the back gives us a big kicking game, which we reckon will be important.
“His ability to identify space and find grass in behind them with his booming boot is a big part of the reason we picked him.
“We certainly know what’s coming and we’re going to have to get in front of that, bring a lot of physicality and kick smart.”
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#TeamAnnouncement: It’s a big change to deal with an expected aerial assault from world champions 👇#RugbyChampionship #SouthAfrica #Springboks #Australia #Wallabies #AUSvRSA https://t.co/vP6xKVyhvP
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Another big change sees Noah Lolesio get the No.10 jersey this week.
Rennie said it was Lolesio’s chance to nail down the No.10 jersey with Quade Cooper injured and the World Cup looming.
“We’ve still got confidence in him but obviously with Quade out of the picture James got a crack last time and so Noah’s got an opportunity to try and cement that jersey,” the coach added.
The Australians are looking to maintain their impressive record on home soil against South Africa – they are unbeaten in their last seven clashes – with their last loss in 2013.
They have won their previous two Tests at Adelaide Oval, where they last played in 2004.
Each of the four Rugby Championship teams has a win apiece and Rennie wants to see his team get off to a fast start to pile the pressure on the visitors.
“It’s massive for us – to bury the disappointment of the previous game and also the Rugby Championship is pretty even so it’s a chance to stay in the fight for the trophy.
“We’ve had an excellent week of preparation with a pretty brutal review, a fair bit of honesty and an excellent reaction so we need to see that on Saturday.”
Source: AAP
