Wallabies plan to annoy Springboks with their 'Great Dane' and 'Jack Russell'

After being outgunned by the Springboks in their last four Tests, the Wallabies know what to expect at Ellis Park on Saturday — but they believe they now have heavy artillery of their own.

Giant lock Will Skelton and powerful flanker Tom Hooper both returned to the Wallabies set-up for the recent series against the British and Irish Lions, Skelton from overseas and Hooper from a long-term shoulder injury. Both made a marked difference, and Australia did not go backwards in the second and third Tests.

Skelton missed the first Test through injury, but his 2.3m, 145kg frame had a telling impact thereafter. Hooper, an explosive flanker at 1.99m and 118kg, was named Player of the Match in the third Test victory in Sydney.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Hooper said the Wallabies would go toe-to-toe with the Springboks.

“Will (Skelton) will definitely be up for that challenge, and anyone picked in the jersey alongside him will follow him into battle,” he said. “Will is an enforcer, and that is what he has been doing for a long time in the beautiful sport of rugby.

“For lack of a better word, he loves being that grub; he loves taking it to teams physically and making the gentleman’s game a little more exciting. We love playing alongside him, and he is just a huge physical presence.

“I’ve never felt so small,” Hooper joked. “At the end of the game, I give him a big hug. I feel like a little kid again, so it’s always good.”

Hooper also spoke about scrum-half Nic White, whose physical stature is in stark contrast to Skelton’s but who can be equally irritating for opponents. White was at the centre of controversy in 2022 when he went down theatrically after Faf de Klerk’s hand brushed his face, earning the Bok a yellow card and helping the Wallabies to victory.

White, 35, starred in the recent 22-12 win over the Lions. Although it was meant to be his farewell match, coach Joe Schmidt persuaded him to tour South Africa after Jake Gordon’s injury.

“You’ve got the Great Dane in Will Skelton, and then you’ve got the little Jack Russell in Nic — and the Jack Russell is sometimes a little more fiery,” Hooper said.

“He loves nipping at the heels of the opposition and not taking a backwards step. That’s the kind of spirit we want to play with going forward.

“You can see that he inspires the 23 on the field. We won’t take a backwards step against the Boks because we can’t afford to.”