Christy Doran: Australian rugby editor previews the upcoming Springboks v Wallabies match

The Wallabies are on a major high, having beaten the Springboks in Johannesburg for the first time in 62 years.

The Springboks recently unveiled that they will be making 10 changes to the side that tasted defeat - but the Wallabies will be looking to complete the sweep in South Africa. 

D'Arcy caught up with Christy Doran, a rugby editor at the Roar in Australia to discuss the changes to both sides, and what fans can look forward to ahead of the big match.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Duncy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good evening, Christy, good to join you and.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
It's great to have you on board. I expect the
entire rugby nation of Australia is still going what the
hell happened over in the Republic? Is it likely to continue?
I suppose what is looking ahead to us come that
huge fixture on Sunday morning.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
Mate, You're not wrong, and it feels like it's almost
a bit of dreamland that's continuing. And I know that
that's what the Wallabies and Ausharna rugby fans are going
to be hoping for themselves.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
But is it likely to continue?

Speaker 4 (00:45):
You look at the team that the Box have named
and where they always get in early day. If it's
a Monday or a Tuesday, doesn't really matter, it's still
early and it's formidable and it almost looks like it's
a stronger team this week than last. You know you're
bringing back Damian de Lande, Chesl and Goldby know.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
The Ford Pack. They've got four specialist locks.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
In there too, coming off the bands from one included
even it's a bit so Jesus is going to quire
another herculean effort and the first time, you know, haven't
been to Cape Town since nineteen ninety two and come
away with the chocolates. So they've broken the drought that
twicken them last year, nine years, sixty two years at
Ellis Parker last week. Can it be a thirty two
year drought breaker? This weekend we'll find out.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Strong team from the Republic. But they've lost a number
of key players, so Rassi Rasmus talked of depth and
the numbers are there, but if they're losing it, it's pointless.
So the difference you lose Closey for example, that is
massive to lose a guy like Cam and there are
other players pit of Steff to Toy that aren't around,
but like for like replacements, you're happy that they've they've

(01:46):
got the backup.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
Well, he just sets Toy. I think it's a bigger
loss at this moment. Like he's a two times well
player over a year, isn't he. So he's just colossal.
He's big, he can dominate out wide. We saw him
get in the tram tracks last week and probably his
error at the base of the rack was one of
those real crucial moments in the game. When you look
at big moments and the Box were really slamming hard

(02:10):
and the Wallabies kind of inside their twenty two and
to toy it just went without the ball and that
kind of summed up their second half capitulation where they
just kept on there. They had a thousand opportunities and
putting none of them away. Look, Franco Mosta comes in
and he's a World Cup winner. He is a quality
player that would start pretty much in every side going

(02:30):
around the world. So see Calisi. I think it was
a little bit by, you know, his leadership particularly, but
I actually think it's a very very strong looking team
right the way through. And I like the fact that
they've stuck with Grant Williams at nine. I think he's
a real threat at half pack.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
And Andre Pellot Pollard.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
You know, we don't need to say too much about
him other than he's a double World Cup winner and
he was the difference between winning and losing two years ago.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
So they've been changes afoot with the spring box. Plainly,
what does and I don't believe I'm going to say
this because I got another correspondent and calls them that
what is Ossie Joe to do with is the makeup
of his team? Does he change much? Where does he go?

Speaker 4 (03:11):
Yeah, it's a good question and generally speaking I would
have had the team already by now. It would be
all cross. Look what I've written them on a couple
of other journals. Payton Corey tool will start, we will
play at the very least and it used his debut.
He's scored twenty eight tries and forty two matches so
far for the Brumba.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
He's a great strike rate there.

Speaker 4 (03:31):
But then you look at Harry will be limped off
last week after scoring his second try. Looks like it'll
be Rob Balatini coming back into the twenty three for
him as well. So that's a good, pretty handy person
to be able to bring in. Obviously, no James Slipper,
no deal in Peach guys they've got injured last week.

(03:52):
So I don't think there's going to be too many
changes because we know Joe Schmidt is someone who strongly
believes in cohesion and if you recall back to this
time two years ago when the All Blacks played the
Wallabies and Dune Eden, they wholesale changes and the continuity
wasn't there. And he's often referenced that game as an
example of why you don't just bring in guys because

(04:14):
you lose the momentum that you get from a week earlier.
So I think otherwise it'll be a very very similar
looking team and they will see and hope that that's
an advantage over a spring Box side that's made ten changes.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
How much towards a case of South Africa losing that
game or the Wallabies winning that game.

Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, I think it's a combination of both. The Wallabies
were outstanding in the last sixty minutes, but we've got
to remember that the spring Box had so many opportunities
and they kept on blowing them.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
So although the Wallabies were outstanding with their finishing.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
Ability, it reminded me of watching the All Blacks play
with their marvelous counter attacking. James O'Connor had a cracker.
We're going to remember they had thirteen entries into that
twenty two zone and they just came away with no
points after that eight end minute mark.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
So it was surprising.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
They thought that going to finish over the top of
the Wallies and it completely flipped on its head, and
discipline was the reason for that.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
You know, the Box gave about ten penalties.

Speaker 4 (05:14):
The Wallabies only four, so you know they averaging nine
point seven penalties under Joe Schmid. If you're getting under
ten penalties per match in international footy, you're generally in
the contest, and we saw that last week.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
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