Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa believes the Springboks will present a big challenge regardless of who they select to start their Rugby Championship opener at Loftus Versfeld.
The South African, as they did in 2019, have split their squads for the shortened Rugby Championship with some of the group going to New Zealand early to acclimatise and the rest gearing up to face the Wallabies.
The split has not necessarily been between the first and second choice starting XVs but more of a blend between the two.
Physical Test
For Alaalatoa and the Wallabies it matters little as they are expecting a massive challenge in front of a boisterous home crowd at a stadium they have never won at in six attempts.
“What we know is no matter who they play, they’re world-class,” Alaalatoa told this masthead. “We’ve seen that in the past. No matter who they start, they are physical and they all have that mentality of trying to dominate the opposition. No matter who they play, it’s going to be a big challenge.
“The whole stadium will be going off and be giving them a good vibe.
“Being a part of the first team to beat South Africa in Pretoria … that [would] be awesome and a memory we will remember forever. We’ve spoken about that and having that belief.”
Enthusiastic returnees
Several players have been recovering from injury in the Wallabies set up such as Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell who are both eager to return to play from long-term injuries. Alaalatoa praised the duo for their enthusiasm in training whilst also declaring his fitness after struggling with a calf issue.
“Those two have been unreal,” said Alaalatoa. “They’ve been running amok at training. You can tell they’ve got itchy feet to play. They’ve been involved in live scrums. They’ve been ticking all the boxes so far.
“I’m in a good place at the moment, I’ve done all the training and ticking all the boxes. If selected, I will be ready to go on the weekend.”
The Loftus Versfeld Test will also be Eddie Jones’ first game at the helm of the Wallabies since returning to his home country after being sacked by England late last year.
READ MORE: Rugby Championship preview: Eddie Jones’ Wallabies to show improvement but not on the table
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