Shit is about to get real for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies. The world champion Springboks have rolled into town for a two-Test showdown starting this weekend in Brisbane and concluding next Saturday in Perth. Australia will start as underdogs but a brew of hometown advantage and some radical new rules could turn this match on its head.
The opening Test on Saturday is the first sell-out for a Wallabies match at Suncorp Stadium since 2013. That year was the last time South Africa won at the venue, with Australia taking out all four meetings in Brisbane since then, the most recent a 30-17 victory for a 2-0 series sweep in 2021. The Wallabies retained the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate the following year, but lost it in a 43-12 drubbing last July.
