Speight admits return of Bok pivot duo has rattled the Wallabies’ nerves

27 September 2016 - 15:01 By Chumani Bambani

The return of Springbok pivot Pat Lambie and fullback Willie le Roux to the South African side is keeping the Wallabies on their toes‚ conceded Australian winger Henry Speight on Tuesday. Both the Boks and Wallabies are camped just metres apart in northern Johannesburg this week as they prepare for their Rugby Championship encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. While the Aussies will be relishing the return of Speight from a knee injury the winger sustained while on national duty with the Australian Sevens side at the Rio Olympics‚ they also have one eye on the Bok duo who have rejoined the SA side.Lambie will make a comeback after sustaining a severe concussion in the June tests against Ireland‚ while Le Roux has been roped back into the mix after being dropped for the Boks’ Australasian tour. “Those are quality players – Lambie and Le Roux - they are proven footballers and we know what they are capable of‚ and what they can spark‚” Speight said from the team hotel on Tuesday morning. “Lambie just brings a calmness and direction into that team. Having him back this weekend will certainly be a boost for them. He will certainly be keeping us on our toes as well.” The afro-sporting‚ Fijian-born winger will be hoping to make a positive contribution to his own side this weekend should he be given an opportunity to add to his five tests for the Wallabies. Following two back-to-back victories (against the Boks in Brisbane and also against Argentina)‚ the Aussies are beginning to grow in confidence again following their previous unsavoury six-match losing streak. “We need to build from that Argentina game‚” the 28-year-old Speight said. “Even though we did not have much possession‚ to score five tries is still a very good stat. Being able to build from that‚ against a tough Springbok side‚ will be a big challenge.” Influential Aussie pivot Bernard Foley also emphasised the importance of consistency from his teammates after getting back onto the winning track. “We’ve been happy with the way we’ve played over the last couple of weeks‚ but now it’s all about consistency and building those combinations‚” said Foley. “It always helps when you start winning games. In patches we played some pretty good footie‚ sometimes we let ourselves down. "We’re still striving to find the perfect formula and keep winning games.” Wallabies coach Michael Cheika will name his team for the Pretoria test on Thursday." - TMG Digital..

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