Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa hits back at South African claims Aussies faked head injuries
The next Wallabies clash with South Africa could explode after allegations the Australians faked head injuries in their fiery game in Perth.
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Senior Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa rejected any suggestions he and two fellow front-rowers faked injuries against South Africa last month declaring “we want to scrum” after being told the Springboks requested an investigation.
After the Wallabies lost all three props - Angus Bell, James Slipper and Alaalatoa - to head injuries during the Rugby Championship clash in Perth match, officials deemed it was no longer safe to continue with contested scrums, and instead ordered turned to uncontested scrums.
In the wake of the match it was reported SA Rugby made a request to World Rugby to investigate the Australian injuries, all of which were head knocks, with Bell suffering a cut above his eye and Alaalatoa failing a head injury assessment (HIA).
Neither returned after halftime, with Slipper also suffering a head knock and the world champion Springboks romped to a 30-12 win.
Former Springboks captain, Jean de Villiers, also questioned the timing of the injuries while speaking on the South African Rugby podcast The Verdict,
“The head injuries are a massive talking point,” de Villiers said.
“With Australia going to non-contested scrums and two props [off the field], are we now saying that if we see those guys playing in the next three to four weeks, that it was a plan, or how do we go about it?
“How do we say it was done on purpose or it actually happened in the game?”
Told about the reports an indignant Alaalatoa, who has captained the Wallabies during his 72-Test career, was firm in his response.
“Do they think I was trying to fake an HIA or something?” Alaalatoa asked after being made aware of the report.
“...That’s the first I’ve heard of that but what I do know is that if someone comes off injured, and then we have (failed a) HIA like we did on the weekend for myself and Slips (James Slipper), then my understanding is that they can’t return back to the field.
“Mate, we want to scrum, that’s what we want to do, especially as front-rowers, and that’s a game where you want to take on that challenge, you don’t want to shy away from that.
“We’re at a stage in our team where we want to keep growing and keep fronting up against the best, so you never want to shy away from that.”
The Wallabies scrum was crucial in the last-gasp win over Argentina which ended a run of Rugby Championship losses, drawing three penalties against the Pumas pack, including one Alaalatoa was behind after a dominant display of power.
Alaalatoa said the Australians, set to get Slipper back for the second test in Argentina, took some confidence from the opening victory knowing improvement was still needed to back it up in the second clash this weekend.
Originally published as Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa hits back at South African claims Aussies faked head injuries
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