Three thumping losses to the All Blacks person skipper Michael Hooper and his Australia broadside successful a presumption wherever they simply person to commencement winning to regain immoderate confidence.
The Rugby Championship isn't going to get easier immoderate clip soon for the Wallabies. Next up are the World Cup champions.
Hooper's lineup faces South Africa contiguous (8.05pm AEST) successful the 2nd lucifer of a doubleheader connected the Gold Coast.
New Zealand and Argentina volition footwear disconnected the 4 week tally of doubleheaders successful Queensland earlier successful the day.
"We wouldn't privation it immoderate different way... we privation to beryllium playing these benignant of games," Hooper said aft the captain's tally connected Saturday.
"That's going to truly assistance our trajectory."
Hooper is acceptable to adjacent George Gregan's grounds of 59 Tests arsenic Wallabies skipper erstwhile helium leads Australia onto the tract against South Africa.
A substance connection from Gregan earlier this week brought a grin to his face, helium said, but the milestone doesn't alteration thing successful Hooper's attack to the occupation astatine hand.
"We've got to support our mindset beardown and (our) content successful what we're trying to do," Hooper said.
"Sometimes erstwhile you play a truly slick outfit similar New Zealand, and what we're astir to face, you've got to beryllium beardown successful what we're trying to achieve. Not reactive."
Springboks manager Jacques Nienaber picked his strongest choky 5 and besides included six forwards among the reserves — 3 of them escaped forwards — successful a 6-2 split.
No.8 Duane Vermeulen volition instrumentality from wounded to commencement for the Springboks for the archetypal clip since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi said the backup guaranteed there'd beryllium afloat strength from the start, with velocity astatine the breakdown and nullifying Hooper's power arsenic the keys.
"We've got thing to clasp backmost due to the fact that there's idiosyncratic who tin travel connected astatine immoderate time," Kolisi said.
"Anyone tin commencement successful this squad — you cognize if you person an disconnected day, idiosyncratic other volition instrumentality the opportunity."
Nienaber made 7 changes to the starting XV and 13 changes successful each to the 23 antheral squad that bushed Argentina successful South Africa's erstwhile game.
The Springboks opened the Rugby Championship with 2 wins implicit Argentina portion besides resting immoderate frontline players pursuing the bid triumph implicit the British and Irish Lions.
Halfback Faf de Klerk is returning to spouse five-eighth Handre Pollard, but Cheslin Kolbe was injured successful grooming this week and volition beryllium replaced by Sbu Nkosi connected the close wing.
The Wallabies person a bully thought of what to expect from South Africa, which relies connected a pinpoint kicking crippled to support tract presumption and support the scoreboard moving, and a elephantine guardant battalion to physically dominate.
Australia manager Dave Rennie is throwing thing a small spot antithetic back, calling up 33-year-old Quade Cooper astatine five-eighth for his archetypal Test commencement since 2017.
Cooper, who has been playing nine rugby successful Japan, volition regenerate Noah Lolesio successful the playmaker role.
Among different areas of concern, the Australians struggled for backline cohesion arsenic they were swept 3-0 by New Zealand successful the Bledisloe Cup bid — the 2nd and 3rd matches doubled arsenic Rugby Championship contests.
"It's precise exciting. He's got specified a unsocial communicative (and) specified a prime subordinate erstwhile he's on," Hooper said.
"He's been a truly affirmative power connected the group, truly assisting immoderate of the younger players and moving connected his ain craft.
"He's the close enactment for the crippled this week. Everyone is beauteous pumped to spot him retired there."
Australia and South Africa haven't met since 2019, with the Springboks missing the Rugby Championship successful 2020 due to the fact that of restrictions successful spot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Africans person mislaid lone 1 of their past six Tests against Australia, but adjunct manager Mzwandile Stick said it was the Springboks' distant grounds successful head-to-heads — peculiarly Australia's 11-1 grounds successful Queensland since 1993 — that would beryllium the absorption of attention.
"If we privation to spot maturation successful our side, we request to beryllium capable to question and triumph distant from home," Stick said.
"It's the archetypal crippled connected tour. It's important for america to commencement well."
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