Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie says his side need to be better this week against the Springboks if they are to win again after handing the world champions several opportunities last time out at the Adelaide Oval.
Rennie’s side claimed a positive 25-17 win over the Springboks last weekend, partially due to the South Africans being unable to capitalise on their territory during the second quarter of the game.
Crucial win in Adelaide
The triumph was vital after Australia had been blown out of the water by a rampant Argentina side 48-17 only a fortnight before.
The 58-year-old revealed that immediately after his side’s win in Adelaide he was already thinking of how they could go back-to-back against the Springboks.
“The interesting thing is when you win people think it’s relief, and really my thoughts five minutes after the game are how do we win next week,” Rennie said.
“And so the preparation and thinking is going into what our week looks like, how do we make sure that we create edge after a win rather than being satisfied with that.
“We’ve had a really good week of preparation, nice to be working with the same group of guys, and as a group of coaches, we’ve made sure that we’ve bought edge and the leaders have done a great job around driving expectations.
“We know we’re going to need to be better because we gave away a lot of penalties last week, and the Springboks weren’t able to hurt us, especially in our second 20 (minutes).
“They are too good a side for us to give them as many opportunities again.”
The Springboks have made eight changes to their starting line-up, many of which are injury-enforced, with key players Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am out for the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
Springbok depth
However, Rennie is under no illusions about the depth of the South African side and insists his team need to be better to claim the win in Sydney this weekend.
“The depth in the Springboks is phenomenal,” he said.
“They’ve made changes, I’d imagine some based on form and some based on injury, we’ve been through that as well and you just focus on who you’ve got and you get on with it.
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“What we know is that it’s still a quality Springboks side, there’s a little bit of youth and energy included, so we’re well aware of the threat they pose.”