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Faf: On their day, Australia as good as New Zealand
Sep 27, 2018Cape Town – On their day, the Wallabies can prove as tough a nut to crack as the All Blacks.
That is the view of Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, who spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this week as his side was preparing for Saturday’s Test against Australia in Port Elizabeth.
The Boks will head into the clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium confident after beating the All Blacks 36-34 in their last encounter.
The Wallabies, on the other hand, will be looking to make amends after a 23-19 home loss to Argentina.
Earlier in the competition, Australia also lost 38-13 (Sydney) and 40-12 (Auckland) to New Zealand but De Klerk says they will by no means be underestimating their opponents this weekend.
The Wallabies’ only positive result in this year’s Rugby Championship was a 23-18 win over the Springboks in Brisbane.
“On their day, I don’t think Australia is a worse side than New Zealand, so I think this is just as tough for us. (We have to) make sure we get the detail right and if we do, passion and pride will come naturally,” De Klerk said.
De Klerk also reflected on the recent loss in Brisbane and said it was a frustrating game.
“We were almost our worst enemy in that game. They put a lot of pressure on our scrums and lineouts and at ruck time and we couldn’t get out of our half because of that pressure.”
Both match-day squads will be named on Thursday, with Saturday’s Test scheduled for 17:05.
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