Wednesday’s rugby news has the Wallabies unchanged, the All Blacks vulnerable, extra time dismissed and Matfield injured.
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McKenzie names unchanged side
Ewen McKenzie has demonstrated his faith in the starters from the first Bledisloe Cup match, naming an unchanged side for Saturday’s rematch. The Wallabies coach said that most of the mistakes from last week’s 12-all draw were easily fixed, owing to the poor conditions or continuity issues. “We’ve got the right group of guys and I think they’ll be better for the experience, so that’s why we didn’t change anything,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie also said that the team won’t be arriving in Auckland until just two days before the match, instead having the final captain’s run at home, citing the need for privacy and familiar surroundings in the lead-up. [/one_half]
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All Blacks vulnerable, says Mehrtens
All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens has said that New Zealand are vulnerable this week at Eden park, especially with Ma’a Nonu and Jerome Kaino described as “highly unlikely” to play by assistant coach Ian Foster. “Despite a lot of talk about the All Black response at Eden Park, I see the Wallabies as an even bigger threat this week as they eye a great chance to snap a second win streak in as many weeks,” he said.
Mehrtens also saw that it was a good sign for Australian fans that the team were disappointing with the draw in the previous Test, demonstrating that the Wallabies are no longer willing to settle with coming close to the world-champions. [/one_half]
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SANZAR says no to extra time
SANZAR have dismissed calls to introduce extra time within the Rugby Championship, saying that there is little risk that the competition will not have a clear winner. “It is not something that has ever been considered by us,” SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said.
Ewen McKenzie said there was no point lobbying for extra point because the result is so rare, with last weekend’s match being the second draw since the Rugby Championship formed in 2012. Sam Carter, however, emphasised the mutual disappointment of fans and players to the non-result. [/one_half]
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Matfield out for Springboks
Victor Matfield will miss the Springboks trip to Argentina, forced to continue rehabilitation on a cartilage tear in his knee which forced the lineout figurehead to miss part of last week’s game. Matfield should be back to full fitness when South Africa face the Wallabies in Perth in two weeks.
Lood de Jager looks set to retain his spot at lock, with Eben Etzebeth likely to return to the starting line-up and Bakkies Botha on the bench. The Springboks lineout will have to make some improvements despite the loss of Matfield, with Argentina disrupting set-piece ball last week. [/one_half]
