Boks will pressure selves to be better - Jean

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers believes his team have taken a bold step forward in their preparations, and they are a much more settled unit than before.

The 16-all draw in Mendoza with Argentina may have rocked the team’s foundations, but De Villiers said the lessons learnt there were taken to heart and his team has moved forwards and “grown as a unit” because of their experience.

After a “good week” of training, the Boks are rested and ready for the onslaught they face against Australia, with pressure being the key word here.

“We’ve had a good week, I don’t think the jetlag has been that bad and everything has been good. We’ve had time to sleep, and time to get away from rugby and we’ve got no complaints,” De Villiers told supersport.com.

“Pressure will always be there when you represent your country, and especially in test rugby. It’s part of the game and it comes down to how we deal with it. We’ve dealt with it well in the past and we’re not happy at the way we played our last game. We want to improve, and the pressure will be that which we’ve put on ourselves.”

De Villiers also sees the game being very different to the Mendoza clash, as the Boks will face a team much more intent on getting quick ball and spreading it accordingly.

“Argentina play more like a Northern Hemisphere team, while Australia will pose a massive threat out wide and attack us, trying to cut our defences. That is an area we need to be strong and we’ve been working hard on it.”

De Villiers also spoke about new caps Johan Goosen and Duanne Vermeulen, Francois Louw’s role in the team and how he expects referee Nigel Owens to make an impact.

Here is the full interview:

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