It may have been a dead rubber, but the 22-12 Wallaby win over the British and Irish Lions in the final match of the series provided the perfect script for anyone charged with the task of marketing the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
The Springboks start their defence of the title with two games against the Wallabies, the first in Johannesburg on 16 August and then Cape Town a week later, and the ante has been lifted by all the talk of an Australian rugby revival.
With the Lions having been underwhelming in winning what was eventually a close fought series 2-1 many of the media covering that tour have already started to throw ahead to the games in South Africa as the litmus test for where the Wallabies stand.
Lions supporters too are waiting on the games to see exactly where this Lions touring squad stands in terms of their achievement, remembering of course that before Saturday’s game Australia were ranked sixth on World Rugby’s rankings.
While the hosts did lose the series, which was widely anticipated, they improved incrementally in each game and the powerful performance delivered in the finale in Sydney was a forceful message not only to their next opponents but also to the All Blacks and Argentina.
Much will hinge on who the Wallabies bring to South Africa, as there is no denying there is a vast difference for instance between a Wallabies team with Will Skelton in it and a Wallaby team without Skelton.
The Australians were helped in their quest to get the most out of Skelton in terms of time on the field by the lightning storm that forced a nearly 40 minute break in proceedings at the start of the second half. If Rob Valentini and Skelton are in the Wallaby touring squad it would make a big difference to their chances of being competitive against a Bok team that has won the last few games against the Wallabies on South African soil with some degree of comfort.
The Wallabies haven’t won in Johannesburg since 1963 so it will be a big ask for them, and they are also unlikely to have in tow the real orchestrator of their win in Sydney, scrumhalf Nic White. It was White’s tactical astuteness and kicking from the base of the scrum that kept the Lions on the back foot in a game played in inclement conditions.
WHITE AND TUPOU WOULD BE BIG ABSENCES
White always intended to retire from international rugby after the Lions series so unless he changes his mind he won’t be at Emirates Airlines Park and neither will the Aussies’ front row hero from the Sydney game, Taniela Tupou.
The man known as the Tongan Thor was influential in what was a rare Wallaby dominant scrumming performance but he has signed to play for Racing 92 in France and Australian rugby has restrictions in place governing which players can play overseas and still play for the country.
Former Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper has made an impassioned plea to the Australian authorities to follow the Springbok lead by relaxing the restrictions and Tupou said after the match that he hopes to be back in Wallaby colours by the 2027 World Cup to be hosted by Australia.
However, with the Wallaby squad for the Championship to be announced shortly, it is at the very least highly doubtful that they will have Tupou’s scrumming force available at Emirates Airlines Park.
The Wallabies certainly don’t come to South Africa without any known weaknesses even though they were strong in areas, such as the scrum, which have been an Achilles heel in the past.
White’s display at the weekend, taking up the playmaker role, relieved the pressure on Tom Lynagh, and then the Aussie youngster was injured, so there are potential problems at flyhalf.
DEBATE OVER LIONS’ QUALITY
It is also true that the Wallabies’ supposed revival is being measured in a series against a Lions team of debatable quality.
Coach Andy Farrell appeared to make some grave errors with his selections, particularly for this last game, although admittedly he wasn’t helped by the lightning break that allowed the Wallabies to get a breather and negated the impact of bench players like Ellis Genge.
Although the Sydney game wasn’t the usual dead rubber scenario as the Lions had set themselves the task of becoming the first Lions team since 1927 to whitewash an opponent in a series, so there was plenty to pay for.
However, the Australians would automatically have been more desperate as they sought to avoid a whitewash and there are understandable questions being asked of Farrell over his decision not to refresh the team for the final game.
The Boks reportedly had a productive week in Johannesburg as they started their preparations for the Championship last week and they will get back to work again this morning. Coach Rassie Erasmus reported just two minor injuries to Cheslin Kolbe and Canan Moodie but he wasn’t anticipating them to have any impact on selection.