THE Wallabies are bracing themselves for a battle of the forwards and have vowed to be aggressive from the start of Saturday's Tri-Nations clash against South Africa in Durban.
Seeking their first win against the Springboks in South Africa in eight years, Australia know a win is vital if they are to keep in touch with leaders New Zealand.
South Africa will go into the match still smarting from their humiliating 19-0 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks at the weekend.
While the world champion Springboks have employed a more expansive game under new coach Peter de Villiers, their error-ridden performance in Cape Town could prompt them to revert to their more traditional forward-oriented style for Saturday's showdown.
The scrum, a traditional South African strength, was the one forward area in which the Springboks exerted pressure on New Zealand, and they are likely to target the Australians in that department.
"They are one of the biggest packs in the world and that in itself is a challenge," Wallabies prop Benn Robinson said. "It's going to be a big battle for us. There's CJ van der Linde and I think the Beast [Tendai Mtawarira] will be playing, so that's going to be a big battle for us and how we can step up and improve."
Robinson said consistency in the set pieces would be a key to Australia's prospects of ending their South African drought.
"Being consistent in our set pieces and making sure we get that right, but also just bringing the aggression up right from the start," Robinson said.
"They are passionate at home and they've got passionate supporters, so if we get on top of them early, then that will set us up for a good game."
Robinson, who has re-established himself as a starter this year after missing out on the 2007 World Cup, is no stranger to the cauldron of South African rugby. "My first Test was at Ellis Park [in Johannesburg in 2006], it was a huge shock, it was a bit of a wake up call for me," Robinson recalled. "I was playing club rugby about three weeks beforehand and then I was in front of 70,000 screaming South Africans at altitude."
Prospering under new coach Robbie Deans, Robinson attributed his resurgence to working hard on his game, especially his scrummaging. "For a front-rower, your scrummaging is your No.1 focus, so I've been working really hard on that with [Wallabies set-piece coach] Michael Foley.
"That's been my goal - just keep my scrummaging going and if anything else comes for me, it's an added bonus."
Robinson said the Springboks presented a different scrummaging challenge to New Zealand.
"Technically, the All Blacks are probably the best scrummaging team in the world at the moment, [but] the Springboks are right up there," Robinson said.
"They are a dominant side and a powerful bunch of blokes, and they can cause trouble."
AAP
