Wallabies prepare to embrace lasers, altitude and drama
Sebastian Tan |
The Wallabies are bracing for an intimidating atmosphere in their Test against Argentina in the mountain city of San Salvador de Jujuy, ready for any tactics including lasers from an unrelenting crowd.
Flyhalf Ben Donaldson insists they’re more prepared than ever to overcome the steep challenge of taking on world No. 7 Argentina after being rocked by a record 67-27 scoreline on their last visit to the South American country in 2024.
The venue for the first Test on Saturday night (Sunday 0500 AEST) – Estadio 23 de Agosto – sits at a lofty 1259m above sea level.
The compact 25,000-seat venue, primarily used for soccer, is known for its menacing environment for visiting teams.
It will be a vastly different atmosphere to when the Wallabies faced Japan in Osaka earlier this month, but Donaldson is preparing to draw on his own experiences of playing in Argentina to help his side get over the line.
“I was lucky enough to play the under-20s World Cup here in 2019, and that was just a small taste of what it is,” the 27-year-old playmaker said from their team camp in Buenos Aires.
“Then in 2024, we played two games here, and the supporters were so passionate. When the Argies sing the national anthem, you can see how much it means to them.
“You hear stories of lasers, of people throwing stuff on the field and whatnot, but you’ve just got to embrace whatever comes.”
Back in 2014 Australia suffered a 21-17 loss to the Pumas in Mendoza with Bernard Foley missing a regulation kick with 10 minutes to play as a green laser from the crowd was targeted at his face.
Former Wallabies Kurtley Beale and Mike Harris have also been in the laser firing line, however Argentine officials have done their best to clean up the poor sportsmanship in their crowds over the past decade.
Wallabies coach Les Kiss will name his match-day squad on Friday morning (AEST) with Donaldson hoping to retain his place.
In their last Test, against Japan in Townsville, he came off the bench in the 59th minute to replace starting No.10 Carter Gordon and successfully kicked three conversions.
Meanwhile, forward Tom Hooper is planning to draw inspiration from the passionate locals, likening it to the crowds he plays in front of with his English team.
Hooper has found success in using opposition fans to his advantage as he helped the Exeter Chiefs to the Premiership final in June.
“It’s a different brand of rugby that they play over there,” Hooper said
“There’s plenty of Argies floating around the Premiership, so it’ll be good to hopefully see a few of them on the weekend, hopefully on the field, but if not afterwards for a beer.
“They’re all good fellas. They play hard, and they’re very passionate people.”
The two-Test Argentinian series marks Hooper’s return to the Wallabies fray after being sidelined for Nations Championship matches against France and Italy because of a hairline fracture to his scapula.
Despite admitting that he had only just got over his jet lag, the forward knows he must hit the ground running as he looks to re-establish himself in the forward pack ahead of next year’s home World Cup.
“It felt a bit nasty at the time, and it just needed a bit of time to settle down,” Hooper said of the shoulder injury, suffered playing against Ireland in July.
“I then just got into a good weight program with Byron Field (Wallabies physiotherapist) and got it back up and running. He was flogging me like a dead horse.”
AAP