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Boks need to continue improving
Springbok captain John Smit has issued a challenge to his players to improve on last week's 70-minute performance against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld when they meet the same opponents in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Smit, who has endured a lot of pressure after a nightmare Vodacom Tri-Nations campaign, knows that only a victory will satisfy the local public and is well aware that while his team has had the rough end of the green during this year’s tournament, they need to prove last weekend’s victory at Loftus wasn’t a one-off.
The Wallabies are set to hit back hard this week while Smit will be looking to press home the Highveld advantage for his team. The Wallabies can overtake the Boks in the IRB rankings if they win and this will serve as an extra source of motivation for them.
Smit, though, has been honest in his assessment of his team, saying they were still a far way from where they needed to be at this level.
“There’s always going to be a bit of relief when you win after losing a few games in a row. We wanted that feeling in the first game back here at FNB Stadium, but it wasn’t to be. It could have gone pear shaped last week but the boys kept their heads,” Smit explained.
“We’re a long way from where we need to be but at least there is a win under our belts. If we think we’ve turned the corner, we now have to be able to open up on the straight. That will only be evident if we can follow up on that tomorrow.”
The Bok captain still had time for a joke or two, as he laughed his way through a question about the opening 10 minutes of a test.
This year, in all three away tests the Boks conceded the advantage through unnecessary yellow cards while at Loftus they were shellshocked by an early Wallaby onslaught that saw them 21-7 down after the same period.
“I’ve forgotten what it feels like to get a good start in the Tri-Nations,” Smit joked.
NO DEAD RUBBER
“That was the biggest thing we spoke about last week. Maybe I should tell the guys we shouldn’t rock up for the first five minutes, we might get a lucky bounce somewhere. A good start would be a first for us for a while.”
Smit dismissed suggestions that the game is a dead rubber, saying the Mandela Plate trophy that is on the line tomorrow, serves as a perfect motivation for the Bok team.
“The Mandela Plate is at least something that we can play for, considering the terrible start that we got,” Smit added. “When you have something to play for, you hold onto it as well as you can.
Every test match has its own prestige, but to be able to end second and to win the Mandela Plate, there is at least something to play for.
“I’d expect nothing less from the Wallabies than to think they are planning a backlash. We’d be naïve to think they wouldn’t want to build on the first ten minutes of that test match. They’ve made a few changes as well and they’d want those changes to aid them in getting what they want out of the game. I’m certainly expecting them to come out harder in this game.”
The Boks are also likely to avoid the wooden spoon for finishing last in the competition if they can win in Bloemfontein.
