Schmidt calls on Wallabies fans to part Springboks’ sea of green
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has urged Australian fans to turn out in force for Saturday’s Test in Perth after being taken aback by the huge South African crowd last Saturday at Suncorp Stadium.
In the hours before the Brisbane clash, the braais were burning as Springboks fans arrived in their thousands to watch their team’s 26-point victory over the Wallabies. Given the high South African expatriate population in Western Australia, an even higher proportion of green jerseys is expected at Optus Stadium.
“I was surprised [at the crowd] in Brisbane,” Schmidt said. “I know that [in] Perth there is a big South African presence, and the expectation is that Optus [Stadium] will have a decent cohort of green.
“I just hope that those Australians who come to support the Wallabies that they put the gold on so at least we can balance that.
“In the game, it’s all background noise, but you can certainly feel it when it is in your favour, when you get a line break, or you get a turnover, or you do something that’s supported by the crowd ... I think it just lifts people a little bit. So, yeah, we’d love the Optus [Stadium] crowd to be gold and vocal.”
Reds No.8 Harry Wilson plays his club rugby at Suncorp and found himself in the unusual position of playing in front of a passionate and large away crowd.
Wilson played his part in a brutal battle against a dominant Springbok forward pack last week and is looking forward to another opportunity to do it all over again in Perth.
“When we were driving to the stadium we saw a lot of green jerseys, and it was different,” Wilson said. “But I guess one thing is, we still heard the Wallaby crowd cheer for us, and even though they were probably outnumbered, they definitely were very loud and got behind us.
“Honestly, playing in front of sold-out stadiums is awesome, it doesn’t really matter who they’re going for. It’s just an opportunity for us to put ourselves under pressure in front of a lot of people, which is always exciting and [we] look forward to having another go at it this weekend.”
Schmidt has spoken about the need to build depth in the Wallabies squad and has brought Waratahs prop Angus Bell back into the starting line-up following his recovery from a toe injury.
Angus Bell will make his return to the Wallabies after recovering from a toe injuryCredit: Getty Images for ARU
The Wallabies coach is confident that Bell is ready for a gruelling contest against the Springboks after having surgery to reshape his foot to help combat his recurring injuries.
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Schmidt said. “If it’s not here, the Argentinians look pretty good last week as well [after beating New Zealand], and if it’s not them, it’s the All Blacks.
“The nature of this competition is we’ve got three out of the four semi-finalists from the World Cup in a competition with us, so there’s nothing that’s going to be easy. So you know, why not now? Angus is confident, he’s worked hard, and he’s feeling well able to get started.
“I think starting him allows us to better control his minutes a little bit as well. He goes straight from the warm-up, builds a rhythm and gets that confidence to go straight into the game, rather than bringing him off the bench, which can be a bit more complicated.”
Schmidt has also called on his sole overseas selection, Marika Koroibete, to replace injured Filipo Daugunu on the wing.
Nic White, who will start at halfback in Perth, said Koroibete would bring power and explosiveness to the Wallabies side.
“He’s special, mate,” White said. “He’s one of a kind, Marika ... he is just made of granite. He is like, stop or go and so when he steps across that white line, it is everything go and just the ability to empty the tank.
“I’ve played with some special blokes that have the ability to just empty the tank into absolutely everything they do, every single action. and right at the top of that (list) is Marika. His high-speed running, his ability to back that up, effort on effort on effort, and then, when it comes to contact, he is as hard as anybody.”
Watch all the action from The Rugby Championship with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport. Round 2 kicks off Saturday, August 17 with All Blacks v Argentina (4pm AEST) and Wallabies v South Africa (7:00pm AEST).
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