Image copyright: Getty Images
2022 Rugby Championship
Round 3
Australia v South Africa
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide, Australia
Saturday, 27 August 2022
Kick-off is at 07h30
South Africa will be looking to get their
Rugby Championship challenge back on track when they take on Australia at the Adelaide Oval on the morning of Saturday, August 27.
The Springboks trail joint-leaders Argentina and the Wallabies by one point in the standings after two matches, although all four nations have an identical record of one win and one loss.
Jacques Nienaber's team made a winning start to the competition after they beat New Zealand 26-10 in Mbombela, but the All Blacks bounced back with a 35-23 victory in Johannesburg the following weekend.
Image copyright: Getty Images
The world champions now head Down Under seeking their first win on the continent in nine years and Nienaber anticipates another tough encounter this weekend.
"Australia are always a tough force at home and the fact that we haven't beaten them here since 2013 is evidence of that," he said.
"Much like us, they will also want to bounce back after going down against Argentina, so we expect them to come out firing.
"We had a thorough review of our last match against New Zealand, and we have identified the areas of our game in which we need to improve.
"We know we need to make a big step up in the quality of our performance to start the tour on a positive note, and that is a big objective for us this weekend."
Nienaber has made two changes to his starting line-up for the test in Adelaide, with Faf de Klerk returning at scrum-half and Warrick Gelant slotting in on the right wing for the injured Jesse Kriel.
Meanwhile, Australia head coach Dave Rennie will be demanding a response from his side following the disappointing 48-17 loss to the Pumas in San Juan on August 13.
The South Americans scored six tries to pick up a bonus point, which took them level with the Wallabies on five points, having gone down 41-26 in Mendoza the previous weekend.
Rennie wants to see a better start from his players at the Adelaide Oval, admitting that was one area of concern in the two tests against Argentina.
"We haven't started well enough, that's an issue for us and we'll look at what we're doing there," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We're looking at everything we're doing. It's easy to blame players when you get a really disappointing result, but we're looking at everything.
"How we've prepared them and ensuring that we're doing every little thing to make sure we're ready to go on Saturday."
Veteran backs Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley have been brought back into the fold, while prop Allan Alaalatoa returns after missing the trip to South America for personal reasons.
Beale last featured for his country in late 2021 and Foley hasn't been in the squad since the 2019 World Cup.
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 90
Australia - 39
South Africa - 48
Draws - 3
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