Hynes: 'No easy Test matches'
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:54
Aussie wing Peter Hynes is sure that the loss of Bryan Habana will do little to diminish the 'fast and physical' Tri-Nations challenge he is expecting from the from the Springboks on Saturday in Durban.
The Reds wing has been in sparkling form this year, notably carrying his Super 14 performance levels through to Test level with ease.
Hynes made an outstanding debut for Australia in the first Test against France in June, and showed that he is more than comfortable at the highest level by earning the Man of the Match award for his performance.
"I'm pretty happy with my form," said Hynes of his rise to the big time this year. "Obviously being here and playing for the Wallabies has been a dream for me for a very long time.
"It's fantastic to be here, and to play games like this, the Tri-Nations and Bledisloes and games like that is just unbelievable and this game coming up [on Saturday] is going to be one of our biggest Tests, and one that I'm really looking forward to."
Hynes has now played five Tests for his country, but he expects that Saturday's clash will be an extremely tough examination of the Wallabies by a wounded Bok team, who will be itching to make up for last weekend's 0-19 reverse against New Zealand.
The 26-year-old Queenslander looked back at that match and felt that it was a case of missed opportunities for the home side.
"I think it was a physical encounter. Both teams went really hard at each other, especially up front.
"I think towards the end of the game, the All Blacks obviously got on top, but it was 5-0 after 60 minutes of the game, and there were a few opportunities where it could have gone the other way.
"It was certainly a very tough match, and I don't think 19-0 was reflective of the game."
Hynes revealed that it was probably a relief for him that star Springbok wing Bryan Habana would miss the match with a hamstring injury, but that he still expected nothing less than a massive onslaught from the home side.
"There's never an easy Test match - the Boks will be physical and fast, and away from home, it's a little bit different from home," Hynes confirmed.
"Obviously there's different preparation, different country and different climate, but you just can't let those things get to you.
"If you start worrying about things like that, you stop worrying about the game, and our focus is the game this weekend, and not the conditions or anything else."
By Phil Coetzer
