The Wallabies are hunting a Springboks scalp to sit alongside that of the Lions but are well aware of the size of the challenge of taking down the world champions on the high veldt.<\/p>\n
Australia open the Rugby Championship on Sunday at 1:10am AEST at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, a ground where have not won since 1963.<\/p>\n
Their most recent victory over South Africa at altitude was at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, where Australia pulled off a last-gasp two-point win in 2010.<\/p>\n
But with just 10 victories from 48 Tests in South Africa since 1933, the successes of the Wallabies have been few and far between.<\/p>\n
While they did not get the series win over the British and Irish Lions, a confidence-boosting victory in the third Test in Sydney left the Wallabies heading to South Africa with their tails up.<\/p>\n
Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa said they were mindful not to get caught up in the aura of the Springboks, back-to-back world champions after winning the 2023 title in France.<\/p>\n
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Brandon Paenga-Amosa says the Wallabies are better placed to beat the Springboks than they were in 2024. (AAP: Richard Wainwright)<\/p>\n
They handily beat Australia 33-7 and 33-12 in their two Tests last year, with the Wallabies’ last victory coming in Adelaide in 2022.<\/p>\n
“It’s really easy to look at what South Africa have done in the past and obviously they’re a world-class team and for us it’s just taking them for face value,” Paenga-Amosa said from Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
“We respect what they’ve done, we respect them as a team, winning World Cups, but we’re just going to take them at face value \u2014 what we see in front of our faces in Ellis Park is how we’re going to see them.<\/p>\n
“I definitely think we’re at a better place now than we were 12 months ago.<\/p>\n
“Off the back of a really good win against the Lions, we just want to continue to build that momentum going into the [The Rugby Championship] against South Africa, Argentina and then the All Blacks.<\/p>\n