The Wallabies will wrestle with the value of a Rugby Championship win and giving players a chance to push for World Cup selection when they name their line-up for their Johannesburg clash with South Africa.
The Springboks are set to field almost a second-string team at Ellis Park, with many of their stars departing early for New Zealand to prepare for their round two match against the All Blacks.
While the Wallabies have the right to feel slighted that the All Blacks game has been prioritised, Rugby Australia director of rugby Scott Johnson wasn’t fazed by South African’s selections.
“That’s their issue not ours…they can do what they want to do and we’ll do what we have to do,” he said.
In 2015 the Wallabies won all three Rugby Championship matches and used it as a springboard for the World Cup, where they made the final.
Johnson said winning momentum proved vital to that campaign but players also needed the chance to impress.
That could include centre James O’Connor, who re-signed with RA this week, and halfback Nic White – with the pair most recently plying their trade in the UK.
Lock/backrower Luke Jones, who hasn’t played a Test since 2014, five-eighth Christian Lealiifano, who battled leukaemia in his Test absence since 2016, and rookie hooker Jordan Uelese, who is on the comeback from a knee reconstruction, are all in the mix.
“It’d be nice to get a victory, that would be important, but you also need to see where people are at,” Johnson said.
“You have got people now that have opportunities to perform and they’ll be viewed on that; you get given a jersey, play, and play well.
“We’re largely speaking about form and combinations and trying to understand what combinations could work.
“We need to understand where we are at but we are out there trying to win a Test match.”
Johnson said there were a few of players carrying injuries which could rule them out while some Brumbies may be rested after playing through to the Super Rugby semi-finals.
The Wallabies are hunting their first win at Ellis Park since 1963.
“We’re taking a longer view of some purely on the fact that some have had big seasons, some may have slight ailments that we think aren’t quite right to go,” Johnson said.
“You can’t take them into a Test match if you’re not sure so we’ll go on who’s best on form, how do the combinations work, plus we need to see a couple of things.”
Johnson and former dual-international Michael O’Connor this year joined Wallabies coach Michael Cheika on a three-man selection panel, introduced on the back of the national team’s poor results.
Johnson felt the process was, so far, working well with some “robust debate”.
“It’s been good discussion and Cheik’s been terrific in it, really good, he’s challenged us and we’ve challenged him and it’s been a really good process for us,” he said.
