Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expects Joseph Suaalii to be a key weapon for the Wallabies in Sunday’s one-off Test in Perth.
Suaalii has been named on the left wing at Optus Stadium, having primarily played at outside centre since switching to rugby union, and Stick believes his aerial ability could form part of a strong Australian kicking game.
“If I look at that backline, they’ve got very strong, powerful runners in that centre partnership in [Hunter] Paisami and Len Ikitau,” Stick told the media on Saturday.
“They’ve got Suaalii on the wing, so they’ll probably come with a strong kicking game with [Ben] Donaldson at 10.”
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Suaalii’s combination of size, pace and aerial ability will give the Wallabies another option when they look to contest kicks, which had been a big weapon for the Boks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.
Stick also believes Australia have the personnel to punish any lapses from the Boks, particularly on home soil.
“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge, especially playing them at home and this is a team where if you’re not good on the day, they’ve got what it takes to punish you,” he said.
“We learnt that at Ellis Park.”
Stick is referring to last year’s Rugby Championship Test in Johannesburg where the Boks raced into a 22-point lead against Australia within the first quarter only to let it slip and allow the Wallabies back into the contest, which they eventually won 38-22. Stick says that match provided valuable lessons about staying true to their plan.
“We’ve learnt a lot from what happened at Ellis Park,” he said.
“After 20 minutes when you lead by 22 points and you drift away from your plan, it’s something we’ve learnt from that Test in terms of how we want to play the game, our DNA and how we want to operate as a team.”
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Stick expects the Wallabies to pose an even greater challenge with home advantage behind them.
“If you look at the Australia team that they’ve selected, it’s probably their best possible 23-man team and it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
Photo: Paul Miller/Getty Images
The post Boks wary of Suaalii aerial threat appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expects Joseph Suaalii to be a key weapon for the Wallabies in Sunday’s one-off Test in Perth.
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