– Advertisement –<\/span> Cape Town \u2014 It was a memorable night in Sydney in August 2014, as I was able to attend a thrilling Super Rugby final between the Waratahs and Crusaders.<\/p>\n I had won a media competition conducted by tournament sponsors Vodacom, and on the bus to the Olympic Stadium, I was asked by the other winners \u2014 who were subscribers \u2014 to make a prediction on what was going to happen in the title decider.<\/p>\n The Crusaders were obvious favourites, even though the Waratahs had topped the overall log. But it was \u201cGo the Tahs!\u201d from my side, and I even chose to wear their light blue jersey instead of the famous red-and-black outfit for the men from Christchurch.<\/p>\n It was a close-run thing in the end, but the Waratahs prevailed 33-32, courtesy of a penalty on the hooter by flyhalf Bernard Foley.<\/p>\n Eight years later, Foley is back in the headlines, having been recalled to the Wallaby squad on Thursday after a three-year absence, with James O\u2019Connor dropped after starting against Argentina in San Juan, and Quade Cooper sidelined with a serious Achilles injury.<\/p>\n The pivot \u2014 who will turn 33 in September \u2014 left for Japanese club Kubota Spears after Australia\u2019s disappointing quarter-final exit at the 2019 Cup.<\/p>\n He told ESPN<\/em> in a recent interview that his ambition to wear the gold jumper was \u201cdefinitely still burning\u201d, and now he is set to add to his 71 Test caps against the Boks.<\/p>\n Coach Dave Rennie stated on Thursday that Foley might not immediately face the Boks, as his Japanese season ended on May 22 and he hasn\u2019t played since. So, youngster Noah Lolesio is likely to wear the No 10 jersey at the Adelaide Oval next Saturday.<\/p>\n But Foley is a wily old campaigner who has an unbeaten record against South Africa in Australia \u2014 wins in Perth in 2014, Brisbane in 2016 and 2018, and a draw in Perth in 2017.<\/p>\n He scored 14, 18 and 13 points in the first three of those matches, and came on as a replacement in the fourth.<\/p>\n So, Foley knows how to make the Wallaby backline tick, and they will need some direction after O\u2019Connor\u2019s performance in San Juan was criticised by Rennie: \u201cJames got a crack in the last Test, we thought his experience would be really important and wanted him to drive the ship and allow us to implement our plan, and we were pretty clunky, to be honest, lacked cohesion, and so he\u2019s missed out on selection.\u201d<\/p>\n While not as flashy as Cooper and Lolesio, Foley is just the ideal type of general who makes his teammates look good with consistency. He makes the right decisions at the right times, kicks well out of hand and at goal, and has a strong passing game.<\/p>\n He has a wealth of talent out wide, with strike-runners such as Marika Koroibete, Jordan Petaia and the fit-again Andrew Kellaway, and powerful centres in Len Ikitau and Hunter Paisami.<\/p>\n But on Rennie\u2019s watch, the Wallabies have improved significantly upfront, and they are well-equipped to match the Boks\u2019 physical approach as well.<\/p>\n They have been strengthened by the return of experienced props Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa, who didn\u2019t feature last weekend, as well as hookers Folau Fainga\u2019a and David Porecki, while energetic No 8 Rob Valetini also won\u2019t take a backward step to the Bok loose forwards.<\/p>\n The Aussies managed to topple the South Africans twice Down Under last year, and despite their heavy defeat last week in Argentina, they have the artillery to repeat their double against a Bok side that are struggling for consistency in performance and selection.<\/p>\n Wallabies Squad<\/strong><\/p>\n Props:<\/strong> Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Pone Fa\u2019amausili, Scott Sio, James Slipper (captain), Taniela Tupou<\/p>\n Hookers:<\/strong> Folau Fainga\u2019a, Lachlan Lonergan, David Porecki<\/p>\n Locks:<\/strong> Rory Arnold, Nick Frost, Matt Philip, Darcy Swain<\/p>\n Loose forwards:<\/strong> Langi Gleeson, Jed Holloway, Rob Leota, Fraser McReight, Pete Samu, Rob Valetini, Harry Wilson<\/p>\n Scrumhalves:<\/strong> Jake Gordon, Tate McDermott, Nic White<\/p>\n Flyhalves:<\/strong> Bernard Foley, Noah Lolesio<\/p>\n Centres:<\/strong> Lalakai Foketi, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami<\/p>\n Wings\/Fullbacks:<\/strong> Jock Campbell, Reece Hodge, Andrew Kellaway, Marika Koroibete, Jordan Petaia, Suliasi Vunivalu, Tom Wright.<\/p>\n @ashfakmohamed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Sport<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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