Showers expected as ‘smart’ Wallabies look to rain on Springboks’ parade

Wallabies captain Allan Alaalatoa was carrying a rugby ball as he walked over for a media conference at Perth’s Optus Stadium. Alaalatoa spoke about the “great challenge” that awaits the Wallabies as his teammates continued to train under the Western Australian sun.

The conditions up until 2:00 pm AWST, which is around the time this article was published, were quite nice in Perth. It was a bit overcast on Test match-Eve but there’s still been more than enough sun for everyone to enjoy a nice walk around town if they wish.

But the forecast for the match itself poses a bit of a challenge to both the Wallabies and Springboks. Showers are expected with more than 30 millimetres of rain set to fall, which includes some challenging weather during the Test itself.

Both the Wallabies and the Springboks have had to deal with heavy rainfall during the week so it’s not like it’s completely foreign to them. It’s just another factor for the players to manage as they look to execute a game plan that will deliver them a positive result.

Alaalatoa had spoken about the “great challenge” of the Springboks’ front-row before later talking about the rain which adds another layer of complexity and drama to what is expected when these two great rivals go head-to-head once again.

“That’s something that as leaders and game drivers we’ve spoken about throughout the week,” Allan Alaalatoa told reporters when asked about the rain. “It hasn’t been the Perth weather that we all expected throughout the week.

“We’ve been training in those conditions and making sure that we’re smart with where we want to play. It’s something that the boys are ready for. It was some of our boys’ first time playing them last week. I understand that feeling and I understand where we need to be better.”

While the weather is a potential variable for the Test, the Wallabies remain firmly focused on the task at hand. Alaalatoa doesn’t need to change anything personally, with the well-known prop already wearing “the longest studs” going into a rematch with the world champs.

But the Wallabies team as a collective looks a little bit different this week. Nic White, Angus Bell, and Marika Koroibete are three significant inclusions to the starting side that will run out on Optus Stadium. They’ll look to give the team a big boost after last week’s loss.

Australia were outclassed by the two-time defending Rugby World Cup champions South Africa last weekend in Brisbane. The Springboks snapped their Suncorp Stadium hoodoo with a dominant 33-7 win in front of a sold-out crowd.

You could see it on the faces of the players as they walked off the field that night, the Wallabies were a team that was hurting. They had expected more of themselves but the Boks were just too good on that Saturday afternoon in the River City.

But the good news about The Rugby Championship is these teams are scheduled to play each other twice in as many weeks. Australia will host the South Africans in Perth on Saturday, so the hosts are looking to learn from some “tough” lessons last time out.

“For us as leaders, he was pretty hard after a win as well. We knew we weren’t where we needed to be early in the year and we kept bringing the focus back on us and nothing’s really changed on that,” Alaalatoa reflected.

“Instead, the outcome didn’t go our way (last weekend) and it was a tough learning that way.

For us, again the coaching staff have driven the fact that brought all the attention back on us, and just making sure that we continue to grow in our game. It does create us opportunities and hopefully tomorrow we get points on the back of that.

“He hasn’t really changed too much after a win or a loss, but he’s always brought the threats back on us. We know that we’re not the finished product at the moment and we’re building.”