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'We're not Wales': What ex-Springbok expects from Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies

James Slipper of the Wallabies poses with the James Bevan Trophy after winning the International Test Match between Australia Wallabies and Wales at AAMI Park on July 13, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

South Africa’s 1995 Rugby World Cup hero Joel Stransky expects Australia to struggle in The Rugby Championship when they come up “against the big sides.”

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There’s a bit of a buzz about Australian rugby at the moment. With the horrors and disappointment of last year’s Rugby World Cup now left firmly in the past, the Wallabies have ushered in a new era with a run of confidence-building wins.

New Zealand-born head coach Joe Schmidt has found success in the role with the Wallabies with the men in gold winning all three of their Tests this year. Australia beat Wales in Sydney and Melbourne before surviving a bit of a scare against Georgia last month.

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Australia’s run of four wins on the bounce – dating back to last year’s win over Portugal in the World Cup pool stages – is the longest active winning run out of any men’s tier-one side. It’s an impressive feat but they’ll need to be at their best if they’re to keep that going.

The two-time defending men’s Rugby World Cup champion Springboks will run out onto the field at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in front of about 50,000 fans this Saturday afternoon. They’ll be looking to win a venue they haven’t found success at in more than a decade.

Joe Stransky wouldn’t go as far as to say that South Africa will definitely win The Rugby Championship’s opening fixture, but the former Springboks flyhalf did tip Australia to struggle as they continue their rebuild.

“It’s interesting. If you look at all, maybe less so Argentina… Australia probably came off the lowest base, to be quite fair. Let’s be honest. They were definitely the weaker of the three sides and they struggled and they were poor at the World Cup,” Stransky said on SENZ’s Scotty & Izzy.

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“For (Schmidt) to build by 40 per cent is a lot easier than it is for New Zealand or South Africa to grow by 40 per cent. I think that first step, the Aussies have done well.

“I’m not sure that when it gets really tough against the big sides – we’re not Wales. New Zealand aren’t Wales. I think they’ll find it a little bit tougher against New Zealand and against, and in particular against the Boks.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
1
Draws
0
Wins
4
Average Points scored
13
29
First try wins
80%
Home team wins
40%

“I’m not saying we’re going to win… we’re not good travellers to Australia at the moment for some unknown reason but hopefully that changes. It has to change at some point.”

The Springboks haven’t beaten the Wallabies at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium since 2013. That’s a fairly long drought for the international rugby heavyweights who have gone on to claim two World Cup crowns in the years since.

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But there’s something about this team.

Rassie Erasmus has picked a matchday 23 that certainly means business. South Africa last won The Rugby Championship in 2019, and their last triumph in the southern hemisphere was in the 2009 Tri-Nations before that, but they appear eager to reclaim the crown.

The selection of youngster Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf has shocked many within the rugby community, but there’s no doubt this team is world-class. Siya Kolisi will captain a side that includes Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe.

Prop Ox Nche deserves a mention on his own. The set-piece battle will be fierce.

South Africa are the reigning men’s Rugby World Cup champions and they’ll want to back that up in The Rugby Championship, which starts with this intriguing clash Down Under. This is the first step in what they hope is their journey to yet another prized piece of silverware.

“There is confidence. Rassie has proven himself to be this genius coach… for the best part, he’s done sensationally well,” Stransky explained.

“What he’s done so well is the age in the team, the number of caps. He’s nurtured players, he’s brought in the young guys, bred them for six months, eight months, 18 months.

“We’ve seen the likes of Damian Willemse come through – from a young player who sat on the bench, was in the squad… into the starting role at fullback.

“I think what (Erasmus) does well, so well, is he understands what game he wants to play, what type of player he needs, how they need to be bred into the system, and he has a plan… I think he has a plan that’s five, six years in advance.

“He’s always got one eye just looking ahead to what’s next, what’s over the horizon (and) how do we prepare for that?

“To see a guy like Elrigh Louw coming into the system 18 months ago, now he’s starting.  Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, now starting even as a young guy. It’s wonderful, it’s really wonderful.

“A couple of these young guys have come through and really proven themselves.”

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JW 3 hours ago
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Yes that’s what WR needs to look at. Football had the same problem with european powerhouses getting all the latin talent then you’re gaurenteed to get the odd late bloomer (21/22 etc, all the best footballers can play for the country much younger to get locked) star changing his allegiance.


They used youth rep selection for locking national elifibilty at one point etc. Then later only counted residency after the age of 18 (make clubs/nations like in this case wait even longer).


That’s what I’m talking about, not changing allegiance in rugby (were it can only be captured by the senior side), where it is still the senior side. Oh yeah, good point about CJ, so in most cases we probably want kids to be able to switch allegiance, were say someone like Lemoto could rep Tonga (if he wasn’t so good) but still play for Australia’s seniors, while in someone like Kite’s (the last aussie kid to go to France) case he’ll be French qualified via 5 years residency at the age of 21, so France to lock him up before Aussie even get a chance to select him. But if we use footballs regulations, who I’m suggesting WR need to get their a into g replicating, he would only start his 5 years once he turns 18 or whatever, meaning 23 yo is as soon as anyone can switch, and when if they’re good enough teams like NZ and Aus can select them (France don’t give a f, they select anybody just to lock them).

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JW 4 hours ago
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The only benefit of the draft idea is league competitiveness. There would be absolutely no commercial value in a draft with rugby’s current interest levels.


I wonder what came first in america? I’m assuming it’s commercial aspect just built overtime and was a side effect essentially.


But the idea is not without merit as a goal. The first step towards being able to implement a draft being be creating it’s source of draftees. Where would you have the players come from? NFL uses college, and players of an age around 22 are generally able to step straight into the NFL. Baseball uses School and kids (obviously nowhere near pro level being 3/4 years younger) are sent to minor league clubs for a few years, the equivalent of the Super Rugby academies. I don’t think the latter is possible legally, and probably the most unethical and pointless, so do we create a University scene that builds on and up from the School scene? There is a lot of merit in that and it would tie in much better with our future partners in Japan and America.


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