Wallabies don't want to 'blow a gasket' against Springboks at Ellis Park

JOHANNESBURG is 1,753m above sea level, yet many teams visiting Ellis Park will tell you that the altitude factor is in the head. The Wallabies are not one of them.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

On Thursday, Wallabies Tom Wright and Angus Bell acknowledged that the lung-burning thin air of the Highveld can’t be ignored in how their team approaches the game against the Springboks today.

Fiery prop Bell, who is playing off the bench in a strategy to defuse the Boks’ ploy of fielding a second front row, said with a smile: “I will struggle a bit more than Wrighty,” having a crack at his hefty physique compared to that of the lithe fullback.

“But I reckon it is a challenge for both teams ... We know the more expansively we play, the better we have to defend (potential counterattacks). We know how dangerous the Boks are, and we know how dangerous we are, but we just have to stick to our guns and our game plan, getting that cutting-edge precision in our attack and defence.”

Wright said combating altitude is about game management.