New debutant Hadley Tonga has praised the influence of legend Maurice Longbottom as his return gives Australia a big boost for Perth.
Longbottom will feature for the first time since the Paris Olympics after recovering from injury for the home event.
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With the squad undergoing an upheaval after the Olympics, Longbottom adds crucial experience to the youthful side.
The 29-year-old has dealt with injury for the past nine months, missing the Singapore and Madrid Grand Final to finish the 2023-24 SVNS World Series before being ruled out of the opening two events of this series.
However, the influence of Longbottom has been felt throughout the squad even with him on the sidelines, especially for young star Tonga as he deals with his own injury journey.
“‘Moz’ is a great lad. I have so much respect for him throughout the years,” Tonga told rugby.com.au
“He’s like another dad to me really. He knows basically more than most of the players in the team. If I was to get help from someone, I'd ask him first.”
The Australians find themselves in a difficult pool alongside South Africa, Argentina and the USA.
The Blitzboks are fresh off taking out their home event in Cape Town, with coach Liam Barry hoping they can draw from the Perth faithful.
“Not many teams get a home tournament and to do so is huge. I know they'll embrace it and they'll be super excited,” he said.
“We've played all three of them over the last two tournaments, and we'll be better for it, so will they, and they will have improved in the six weeks since Cape Town. We've certainly done the work to be at a point where we can have more confidence about how we play.”
The Australian men's side will open their campaign on Friday against Argentina in a rematch of the 2024 Final.
On that day, Los Pumas raced away with the victory, ending Australia’s fairytale run into the Final after the hosts upset the USA and Fiji.
