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Wallabies' Hodge fires warning message to Springboks

By Alex Fisher
Australia back Reece Hodge

Reece Hodge hopes South Africa will buckle under the pressure of repeating their victory over New Zealand when they host Australia on Saturday.

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The Springboks caused an almighty upset in the Rugby Championship last time out as they snatched a 36-34 win over the All Blacks in Wellington.

It came as a boost for Rassie Erasmus’ side after back-to-back defeats against Australia and Argentina and sets them up nicely for the final two matches of the competition.

Port Elizabeth hosts the first of those games against the Wallabies this weekend and Hodge hopes the raised expectations will prove heavy on South Africa’s shoulders.

“They are going to be a lot more confident but there is also going to be a fair amount of pressure on them,” he told a media conference.

“They’ve had a great win over the All Blacks but their fans – like ours – are going to want to see some consistency. It’s a huge game for them, as it is for us.

“Both teams are kind of on the verge of building some serious momentum going into the end-of-the-year Tests, and we cannot afford to let another opportunity slip.

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“There is a lot stacked up against us this weekend. It’s up to us to just go about our business and just focus on ourselves.”

Australia go into the contest bottom of the table with five points from four matches, Michael Cheika’s team having only tasted success once – against the Springboks in Brisbane.

A 23-19 reverse against Argentina on September 15 piled more pressure on the Wallabies squad, and Hodge says the trip to South Africa has helped them re-establish some focus.

He added: “It has given us the chance to go away and figure out, both individually and as a squad, what we want to get out of this tour, what we need to bring individually and as a collective to get those results.

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“I think both teams would’ve enjoyed the week off in their own way and it will be all systems go on Saturday.”

You may also like: Wallabies Allan Alaalatoa and Ned Hanigan speak ahead of Springboks test

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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