South African captain Siya Kolisi is wary of what new Wallabies No.10 Kurtley Beale will bring to the host’s attack when they meet in Brisbane on Saturday.
Both sides have tweaked their squads for the must-win Rugby Championship clash, with Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx and Australian five-eighth Bernard Foley relegated to the bench.
But Kolisi says his men are equipped to stifle Beale’s attacking prowess and stop breakdown specialists David Pocock and Michael Hooper at Suncorp Stadium.
“Putting Kurtley Beale there, obviously they want to attack, he’s a very good attacking fly-half,” Kolisi said.
“We know they’re very smart and good at the breakdown as well. Two of the best in the world.
“We haven’t spoken specifically to make plans for him (Pocock), but we know how good he is.”
Coach Rassie Erasmus’ decision to make six changes from the side that lost 32-19 to Argentina last month raised eyebrows in the Australian camp, with Wallabies coach Michael Cheika wondering aloud on Thursday if they had become a side opposition teams rested their best against.
The newly installed captain said the side’s long-term focus was on next year’s World Cup in Japan, but has backed Saturday night’s side to deliver knowing that wins remained essential along the way.
“There would be nothing better than executing the coach’s plan while winning,” he said.
“Obviously people will look at it differently because of the loss (to Argentina) but we knew three weeks ago of these changes.”