The Wallabies are preparing for a physical encounter with the Springboks, picking the brain of NBA superstar Jamal Murray for inspiration ahead of Saturday's Test at the Adelaide Oval.
The Denver Nuggets guard and Wallabies trio Scott Sio, Folau Fainga'a and Nick Frost took the chance last week to connect and compare sports, with Murray in Sydney to launch the NBA's new stores in Australia.
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“It’s an unreal experience,” Fainga’a told Rugby.com.au last week ahead of the Wallabies heading into camp on the Gold Coast.
“For a guy of his status to come out here and show him a few tips about Rugby and he’s showing us some basketball tips, he just wanted to learn a few things about scrummaging, lineouts, throwing the ball. It was pretty cool.
“It’s one of the special parts of sport that you get to connect with athletes at the top level of there (sports) and we were pretty fortunate to meet with Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets," Sio believes.
“It’s good to be back home and rest and recover but something like this, it doesn’t come around every day, shoot some hoops as well. I thought he’d be better at HORSE but we held our own," Frost interjected.
Sio and Fainga'a are amongst a host of Wallabies returning to the squad for the two Tests in Sydney and Adelaide, joined by the likes of Andrew Kellaway, Hunter Paisami and Angus Bell.
The departing Brumbies prop was forced off the field with a shoulder injury just minutes after coming onto the field in the second Test defeat to England in Brisbane.
“It’s tracking along really well,” he said.
“It’s coming along in the gym really nicely and I’m getting to do a lot more around the park. We need to make sure we’re ticking all the boxes medically.
“If I get the opportunity I’ll be ready to go.”
Frost refused to use the vast disruptions and setbacks of the past month as an excuse for a 'tough' defeat against Argentina a fortnight ago, preparing to take it to the world champion South Africans.
“It’s a tough loss but the sun comes up and we move on which we’ve spoken about,” Frost believes.
“We park it and then we get a thorough review and we get into the next game and the Springboks, we’re pretty keen for those ones so we’ll be ripping in as a team in training and then going out and putting in a good performance.
“At the end of the day, we just didn’t perform but we go into this game full of confidence and will thoroughly review and get into it.”
“They’ve been a physical force for some time now and they’ve come to the forefront over the past couple of years,” Sio added.
“They’re reigning world champions for a reason so physically and mentally, it’s going to be one of those battles we have to be up for. If you don’t match them early, it could be a long day so physically so for us, it’s all about physicality and playing smart with field position is crucial.”
