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2022 Rugby Championship
Round 4
Australia v South Africa
Sydney Football Stadium
Sydney, Australia
Saturday, 3 September 2022
Kick-off is at 11h35
South Africa will continue their search for a first victory Down Under in nine years when they tackle Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium on the morning of Saturday, September 3.
The Springboks last beat the Wallabies on their own turf in September 2013, winning 38-12 at Lang Park in Brisbane - a feat they have not managed to replicate since then.
Jacques Nienaber's team lost 25-17 at the Adelaide Oval last weekend and find themselves fourth in the
Rugby Championship standings after New Zealand gained a bonus point in their 25-18 defeat to Argentina in round 3.
The Boks will be looking to snap a three-match losing streak against Australia and Nienaber has made eight changes to his starting line-up in a bid to turn the tables on the opposition, with Canan Moodie set to make his debut on the right wing.
"We had a thorough review of our performance against Australia last week, and the most disappointing aspect is that were dominant in several areas of the game, but we struggled to show that on the scoreboard," Nienaber said.
"This week is a final for us to stay in the competition and we are expecting Australia to be just as desperate, but so are we.
"We let ourselves down in the last two games and we are determined to rectify that this week and change our fortunes in Australia. We'll prepare as well as possible this week to stay in the hunt for the title."
Dave Rennie's side remain in second place behind Argentina, although both nations are tied on nine points after three games.
However, the Wallabies have developed a worrying trend this year as they've led 3-0 in multi-test series, only to succumb 0-3 in the follow-up encounters.
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Full-back Reece Hodge has revealed that they've been hard at work trying to address the issue of inconsistency as they prepare to face the world champions in a packed Sydney Football Stadium.
"We've had a habit since I've been involved with the Wallabies of not being able to back up good performances the week after and string wins together," Hodge said.
"Last year in the Rugby Championship we did so to an extent there with four in a row into Spring Tour and we made it five against Japan but aside from that, we've struggled to back up performances.
"It's definitely something we've addressed. It's a challenge (for) this group this week and I think everyone is excited by the challenge, especially at a brand-new stadium that none of us have played at before in front of a sold out Sydney."
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 91
Australia - 40
South Africa - 48
Draws - 3
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