The Wallabies and Springboks collide in Brisbane to kick off the 2024 Rugby Championship in style on Saturday.

Australia and South Africa head into the clash at completely different stages in their respective developments, with the new Joe Schmidt era taking shape while the Springboks are in the seventh year of the Rassie Erasmus project.

Schmidt has been entrusted with cleaning up Eddie Jones’ 2023 mess and has made a healthy dent in the workload after winning his opening three games in charge, nilling Wales in a two-Test series before sweeping Georgia aside.

He has been a breath of fresh air and has taken on the job in an entirely different manner which has seemingly inspired the fans who have flocked to sell out Suncorp Stadium, a rugby union 11-year first in Brisbane.

Still, there is plenty of tidying up to do and Schmidt’s charges face their mightiest Test so far this year, with the double World Cup champions in town eager to claim just their second win over the Wallabies in Brisbane and first since 2013.

Erasmus has reclaimed the reins as the Springboks‘ head coach following Jacques Nienaber’s return to Ireland and the Bok boss has not rested on his laurels, adding fresh faces to his coaching staff and squad.

Despite their torrid record in Brisbane, the Boks will be clear favourites for the Rugby Championship opener but with the cunning Schmidt in charge, Erasmus and co. will not be taking this clash lightly in what promises to be an epic encounter.

The cliche is getting rather old when referencing the Springboks, and any Test match in fact, but the game will be won and lost upfront; Erasmus and Schmidt both know it to be fact. Whether it be the breakdown, the gain-line or the set-piece when it comes to South Africa, the forwards win the match and the backs decide by how much. It was true 30 years ago and it was true in July for both the Boks and Wallabies.

Traditionally, South Africa employ left and right flankers rather than a blindside and a ‘fetcher’ openside but it is quite telling that Erasmus has picked two fetcher flankers in Marco van Staden and Kwagga Smith on his bench with Malcolm Marx adding another pilfering threat. Schmidt has responded with a starting fetcher and one on the bench which makes for a tasty breakdown battle this weekend – an area of the game that the Wallabies boss is renowned for being a master of.

While the breakdown will be a crucial battleground, the decisive facet of the game is bound to be the set-pieces with both sides able to pose a real threat to one another. The Springboks are primed to dominate in the scrums with Frans Malherbe facing off against rookie Isaac Kailea, who earns just his second cap, but as scrum guru Daan Human explained, the Wallabies always have a trick or two up their sleeve to gain an edge at the scrums.

The Springboks lineout looked shaky against Ireland after Franco Mostert’s injury and with RG Snyman carrying an niggle there is a chance that Ruan Nortje could be catapulted into the 23. The inclusion of Elrigh Louw at number eight also indicates that the Boks need more options in the lineout and with the excellent Nick Frost and Lukhan Salakai-Loto in the Wallabies ranks, South Africa’s lineout is not safe.

Ireland punished the Boks from the latest set-piece, the goal-line dropout, and that fact won’t have escaped the sharp Schmidt. Test rugby is all about small margins and the set-pieces make up a good chunk of that and if the Wallabies are to clinch an upset, they will need to win as many of the set-piece battles as possible.

What they said

Wallabies boss Schmidt is pleased by the support his team is getting from the Australian fans ahead of the sell-out clash at Suncorp.

“One of the things that gives us confidence – we are not guided by the external belief – is the fantastic support,” he said after naming his team.

“It swings both ways for us as there is an expectation to live up to but there is support that we want to keep earning.”

Zoning on the match itself, he added: “I think we have to match up at set-pieces, not matter what you do against South Africa that is where you need to match up because that’s where the whole thing starts with them.

“From there, they have built their attack, they really stressed Ireland by going side to side and using the width of their attack. With Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] being preferred over Handre [Pollard], it shows that they want more tempo and then they have incredibly quick nines with Cobus [Reinach] and Grant [Williams] – so whatever they bring we have to be prepared to match.”

Meanwhile, Cheslin Kolbe is eager to claim his first win in Australia after making his debut in the 23-18 defeat to the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in 2018.

“My only game in Australia was my Test debut here in Brisbane and it wasn’t a good result but it is good to be back in the team and here,” he said.

“It’s a new coaching staff [for Australia], it’s a lot of new players coming through, which is quite exciting and for us is we just need to stick to what we’ve done throughout this week, execute our plan and once we can do that and the forwards give us the go forward hopefully there will be opportunities for us to exploit out wide.

“We haven’t won a Rugby Championship since 2019, so obviously it will be unbelievable to get another one but we are just looking forward to this Saturday. We don’t have a good history in Australia but we haven’t really played them a lot down here either.”

Commenting on new attack coach Tony Brown, Kolbe added: “Tony comes with so many fresh ideas and it’s nice to have a new voice in the group.

“Being in Japan, the Japanese boys spoke highly of him and since I have been in the group he has really been unbelievable, he just wants us to play rugby and express ourselves.

“As a team, we obviously have a plan but we have that bit of freedom to bring your extra 1% to make a difference and contribute.

“He is not the kind of coach that says you need to do XYZ, he gives you leverage to play what is in front of you, so definitely exciting.”

Players to watch

There is no two ways about it, starting for your country for the first time is no easy task but there probably isn’t a more challenging baptism of fire than doing that in the front-row against the Springboks. But that is the task that awaits Isaac Kailea who has shone in his first three cameos off the bench. An exciting talent at loosehead prop, Kailea has all the makings of a fine Test prop but he may well be learning some tough lessons on Saturday and if that is not the case, it will be a stunning notch under his belt.

Wallabies number eight Harry Wilson has the skill-set to be a regular starter for Australia but he couldn’t quite solidify his place in the squad under Dave Rennie or Jones. He missed the first two Tests of the year but impressed against Georgia and as he prepares to tackle another abrasive pack, he will know that a strong showing against the Boks will do his hopes of regular minutes a world of good.

The Springboks will be well aware of the threat that Len Ikitau poses as the excellent midfielder has caused all kinds of issues on and off the ball in previous encounters. He has struggled with injuries recently but when on song, there are few more potent with ball in hand but equally excellent in defence.

While Erasmus named a pretty settled matchday 23, he did reward form with an opportunity and that rings true for number eight Elrigh Louw, who earns his first start for the Springboks. Louw was not included in the mid-year internationals squad but was brought into the team for the clash against Portugal where he thundered through a 33-minute shift. A powerful ball carrier with real pace and a huge engine on defence, Louw is another who can stake a big claim this weekend.

There is a mouth-watering head-to-head in the centres with Ikitau going up against the in-form Jesse Kriel. The Boks midfielder has been superb for the side since last year and was a key cog in their defensive system and with the side’s new emphasis on attack under Brown, he has been just as impressive with ball in hand.

Kwagga Smith returns to his role in the Bomb Squad this week after turning out at number eight against Ireland and Australia will be wary of the livewire back-rower’s impact in the second half. Smith scored twice off the bench in 2022 against the Wallabies and was sensational in the latter stages of the Boks’ World Cup knockout matches last year.

Main head-to-head

As mentioned above, the game will be won upfront but the two fly-halves will determine by how much as Wallabies playmaker Noah Lolesio lines up against Springboks rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Both players are hugely talented and are aiming to lock in their place in their respective squads. The pair have an all-court game that can unlock the opposition defence but it will be the overall game management that will be the telling factor. Lolesio has shown that trait in spades with the Brumbies but hasn’t always replicated that for his country. Meanwhile, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has made a sensational start to his international career in all four of the Boks games this year. He has sparingly played fly-half for the Stormers but has oozed the confidence needed to make the jump up on the international stage.

Prediction

Despite the massive leaps forward the Wallabies have made since Schmidt’s arrival Down Under, it is hard to see his influence being enough to knock over the world champions just yet. The Wallabies will be fired up to perform in front of a full house but ultimately they look primed for a walloping at the hands of the Springboks. Erasmus’ charges should overpower Australia by a margin of more than 20 points.

Previous results

2023: South Africa won 43-12 in Sydney
2022: South Africa won 24-8 in Sydney
2022: Australia won 25-17 in Adelaide
2021: Australia won 30-17 in Brisbane
2021: Australia won 28-26 on the Gold Coast
2019: South Africa won 35-17 in Johannesburg
2018: South Africa won 23-12 in Gqeberha
2018: Australia won 23-18 in Brisbane
2017: The teams drew 27-27 in Bloemfontein

The teams

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Isaac Kailea
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 RG Snyman, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handré Pollard

Date: Saturday, August 10
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 14:45 (05:45 BST)
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (NZR), Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

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‘Nerves are normal’: Wallabies captain’s message before Springboks clash

Allan Alaalatoa has reminded his teammates that “nerves are normal” the day before the Wallabies’ crunch clash with the world champion Springboks in Brisbane.

Alaalatoa, 30, has played 70 Test matches for Australia and nine of those appearances have been against South Africa. It’s safe to say the Wallabies captain knows a thing or two about what to expect from the Boks this weekend.

But there’s other Wallabies in the team to play on Saturday afternoon that haven’t experienced the Springboks’ ferocious physicality before. Prop Isaac Kailea is one of them, as is backrower Carlo Tizzano who has been named to debut at openside flanker.

Before The Rugby Championship opener gets underway, a star-studded Springboks outfit will be waiting for any player wearing Wallaby gold. Captain Siya Kolisi, lock Eben Etzebeth and Rugby World Cup hero Pieter-Steph du Toit will look to lay down a marker in defence.

The Springboks are known for their fierce and physical approach to both attack and defence, and with the team Rassie Erasmus has picked to face the Wallabies, expect no different from the visitors as they look to snap their Brisbane hoodoo.

“It’s more just letting the boys know nerves are normal. You’re a bit worried if you’re not nervous before a Test match and it’s no different tomorrow,” Allan Alaalatoa told reporters on Friday at Suncorp Stadium.

“We spoke about (it at the) beginning of the week. For you to stand out here and sing that anthem and relieve those nerves, you must think back to the way that you prepared.

“We’ve poured everything into our preparation, into what we’ve done in the July series for us to know that we’ve got to be confident to go out there and to deliver out best and to deliver the plan that we put forward.”

While the odds appear stacked against the Wallabies, with the Springboks widely considered the favourites for this clash, the hosts will have the support of a sold-out Suncorp Stadium spurring them on when the going gets tough.

As Rugby Australia confirmed earlier this week, the Wallabies have sold out a Test match in Brisbane for the first time since 2013 when they faced the prestigious British and Irish Lions in the opening Test of that series.

With about 50,000 fans set to pack the stands at the well-known Brisbane venue, the Wallabies will look to repay the faith shown in them by fans. As Alaalatoa explained, “it’s massive” for the team to receive that level of support.

“First of all, the boys love playing at Suncorp, and to sell it out is massive for us,” Alaalatoa reflected.

“We know that we’ve got a great supporting base here in Queensland and we see Suncorp as our fortress, and the reason being people always come out and support.

“The crowd is going to be massive. We’re going to draw on them every step of the way tomorrow. To have that backing is going to be great.

“The boys are excited by that, especially to play in front of our fans and family.”