ROSARIO, Argentina – Embattled Australia coach Robbie Deans has beefed up his team in anticipation of a pounding from Argentina Saturday in the final fixture of the 2012 Rugby Championship. The New Zealand-born handler made five changes to the team crushed 31-8 by South Africa last weekend – a third defeat in five southern hemisphere championship outings for the injury-stricken Wallabies. Mike Harris replaces Berrick Barnes at full-back, Ben Tapuai comes in for Adam Ashley-Cooper at outside centre and Nick Cummins wins a first cap on the right wing with Dominic Shipperley relegated to the reserves. James Slipper, who did not help the floundering Australian cause in South Africa by being sin binned after coming on as a replacement, starts ahead of Benn Robinson at loosehead prop for a team lying third on the table. Sitaleki Timani, whose previous six Test appearances have been as a lock, has been drafted into the back row on the blindside with Dave Dennis dropping to a bench comprising five forwards and just two backs. Although last-place Argentina were swamped 54-15 by champions New Zealand in La Plata last weekend, Deans is under no illusions about the threat posed by the South Americans as they seek a first Championship victory. “We know the Pumas will come straight at us, hoping to profit at the collisions the same way the Springboks did last weekend,” said the man who developed Canterbury Crusaders into the most potent Super Rugby force. “That issue has been addressed – internally in our discussions and also in our team selections – and we have gone for players best suited to a physical approach.” The fixture at the 40,000-seat Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, a football ground like all others used by the Pumas for home fixtures, will be a special occasion for veteran Wallaby lock Nathan Sharpe as he rises to 111 caps. That makes the skipper the most capped Australian forward, ahead of retired flank George Smith, and the second most capped Wallaby after legendary scrum-half George Gregan, who made 139 appearances. Meanwhile in Soweto, South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer is set confront New Zealand. The Springboks handled the ball far more in a five-try 31-8 demolition of Australia in Pretoria last weekend than in the three previous rounds of the southern hemisphere national team competition. Gone were the generally over-hit field kicks that gave even the South African hares no chance of getting to the dropping ball before a rival, and contributed to a lucky draw in Argentina and avoidable losses in Australia and New Zealand. But Meyer, who succeeded outspoken Peter de Villiers this year on a four-year contract with the aim of reclaiming the Rugby World Cup in 2015, believes a run-at-all-cost approach against the All Blacks would be suicidal. — Agencies
