Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Wallabies enforcer Lukhan Salakaia-Loto knows that victories against Japan and Italy are important, but says they count for little ahead of going “into some deep waters” against Argentina in the mountain city of Jujuy on Sunday morning (AEST).
The Wallabies will swap the polite applause of Osaka and the cheers from fans in Townsville and Perth for one of the more hostile venues in world rugby, the Estadio 23 de Agosto. The 53-year-old stadium is 1259m above sea level and is predominantly terraced, allowing fans to stand close to the field.
“Let’s not kid ourselves here … and no disrespect to those sides [Japan and Italy], but for us, for where we want to go and what we know we’re capable of, we should be doing that [winning] against sides like that,” Salakaia-Loto said.
“So the challenge for us is to go over to Argentina, where it’s a tough place to play, and do the same … this tour to Argentina poses a different threat; there are bigger fish that we need to try and fry.
“For myself anyway, it only counts when you’re doing it up against the big teams and the best teams. And Argentina are definitely one of the best teams in the world.”
Salakaia-Loto returned to the Wallabies starting lineup in the second-row in their most recent outing, a 39-point Test victory against Japan in Townsville. The Reds player has played Argentina six times in his 47 Test career, winning twice.
Argentina are ranked seventh in the world, one place ahead of the Wallabies, and have lost their last two Tests, against England and South Africa.
On Sunday morning (AEST), Argentina will play just their third Test in the crumbling 25,000-capacity Estadio 23 de Agosto, a venue primarily used for soccer.
Last August, during a soccer game between home team Gimnasia de Jujuy and Deportivo Madryn, it was reported that the referee had to suspend the game due to threats from local officials. Salakaia-Loto and the Wallabies are playing a different sport, but are still bracing for an intimidating atmosphere.
“I’ve only played over there a couple of times, but they’re very passionate people. People that really love representing their country and will do anything (to win), as you’ve seen, the way that they play in their sports.
“Going over to Argentina, the crowds are pretty ruthless and nothing probably compares to it … I think a tour to Argentina is perfect for us … we’re going into some deep waters now and the focus is on how we best prepare this week leading into next week’s game and, you know, trying to take the crowd away from them and use it against them.”
The Reds player is not fazed by the prospect of home fans potentially using lasers to put the Wallabies off their game, instead welcoming the challenge of playing in one of the most hostile venues in world rugby.
“I reckon it’s pretty cool; obviously the lasers are different, but I’m not kicking the ball, so it doesn’t matter to me.
“But, you want to be in those environments; you want to experience that. You want to be in those situations where it’s a tough, tough test match and the only way to get out of it is to go forward and beat fire with fire.”
Meanwhile, recently departed Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has been appointed as an assistant coach with Black Rams Toyko in Japan’s Rugby League One competition.
McKellar spent two seasons at the Waratahs before parting ways with the team with one year remaining on his contract.
The former Wallabies assistant coach will work under New Zealand coach Tabai Matson. The Black Rams finished fifth in this season’s league before ending their season defeated in the quarter-finals to Tokyo Sungoliath.
