South Africa will look to replicate the expansive game that saw them score five tries against Australia last week, when the Springboks and Wallabies go head-to-head in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
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Bok coach Peter de Villiers said his team will work on their “attitude” this week, as they look to finish their Tri-Nations campaign on a high.
After losing their opening four games of the tournament – scoring five tries and getting just a solitary bonus point for losing by less than seven points to New Zealand – South Africa bounced back with a thrilling come-from-behind 44-31 win over Australia in Pretoria.
Despite going down by 14 points twice in the match – 0-14 after four minutes and 7-21 after 14 minutes – and with the Wallabies scoring four tries inside the first 26 minutes, the Boks managed to outscore the Aussies by five tries to four and kept them scoreless for the last half-hour.
“If we can go out on Saturday with that same mindset, it is going to be great for us,” De Villiers told a media gathering in Bloemfontein.
He said that with the right mindset, of playing a more attacking game, the players will see the opportunities more readily.
VALUE OF DICK MUIR
“Our attitude will be the first thing we’ll work on and then we’ll take it from there,” De Villiers said of the team’s preparations, adding “Our systems are in place and we create great opportunities. [It is that] just sometimes we don’t take those chances.”
The Boks’ head coach was also full of praise for backline coach Dick Muir, who has come under fire when the backs were not performing according to the expected standards.
“That is where Dicky [Muir] is so valuable to this team,” De Villiers said, adding: “When Dick says: ‘Let’s run the ball’, a lot of people think we just want to throw it wide.
“We want to run the ball within our system.
“That is why I’m so glad we didn’t fall into that defensive mode [in Pretoria last Saturday].
“Sometimes you are so scared of not making mistakes that it stops you from taking the opportunities that are there.
“So if we can get that [same] mindset we had [last] Saturday, by creating the opportunities and taking them that will be great.”
De Villiers said he believed his side had achieved a lot with the victory over Australia, even though they let in three tries in the opening 14 minutes.
“We’ve definitely achieved a lot.
“Many people look at the moment, but we look at the structures we have and the impact we made with the World Cup in mind.
“If you remember what happened the week before and you add that to this past weekend, then there is a good platform for the guys to work on.
“Every brick that we lay in this foundation now needs to be the right one for the World Cup.
“This is our biggest concern now – how do we handle the players psychogically, physically and how their own situations are managed,” he added.
I wonder how many tries Habana scored in the last 2 years. I know he is try less in the last 5. That is poor for your most lethal strike force.
What does this mean? “That is where Dicky [Muir] is so valuable to this team,” De Villiers said, adding: “When Dick says: ‘Let’s run the ball’, a lot of people think we just want to throw it wide.
I’ve got no idea what Dickie did that make him “so valuable”. One of his usual non-sensical sentences. If he talks like that with the media one has to wonder about the quality of his feedback, instructions and general advice to the team. Does they (the team) understand him? I don’t.
McLook wrote:
“We want to run the ball within our system”
Sad that he cant see after 3 years that the system Dick build is going nowhere. When will he pull the Eddie Jones rabbit out of the hat. When will he see the light like Jake White did.
I really wonder if 5 of Habana’s tries were scored from a good backline move. Most is scored by chasing kicks by FduP. Our best tries come from lose forward cutting in at pace and angles. But honestly i do not see great creative back line play. The individual brilliance of Jaque and others gives us a few tries.
superBul wrote:
You are 100% correct. Habana scored 3 tries for the barbarians last year why becuase he got some ball in space. He can’t score for the boks because there is no semblence of backline play.
@ McLook:
Top try scorers in SA , CC Premier div.
Bjorn Basson 13
Lwazi Mvovo 7
Elgar Watts 6
Michael Bondesio 6
Keegan Daniel 5
Pieter Louw 5
Coenie Oosthuizen 5
Jano Vermaak 5
Gio Aplon 4
Dean Greyling 4
i hear a lot ask for Mvovu to get a Bok chance, i must be honest i have not seen a try by him yet, but Bjorn Basson is re-writing the record books. He even scored 4 last week against the Sharks.
@ superBul:
And to add he is already a Springbok.
Bjorn Basson
Full names: Bjorn Alberic
Date of birth: 11 Feb 1987
Place of birth: King William’s Town, South Africa
School: Dale College, King Williams Town
Debut test province: Griquas
Physical: 1.85m, 84kg
Current age: 23
Test summary: Tests: 2 Tries: 0
First Test: 5 Jun 2010 Age:23 Reserve against Wales at Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff
Last Test: 19 Jun 2010 Age:23 Reserve against Italy at Puma Stadium, Witbank
@ superBul:
Bjorn is playing brilliant rugby and both him and Mvovo will do well in the Bok jersey. Mvovo is just more black and therefore more qualified…
@ superBul: Super…Coenie Oosthuizen with his 5 has done really well to. The bloke’s got some awesome pace. I can see this bloke wearing the green and gold in the not so distant future
We have good backup at wing, Basson or Mvovu would do just fine.
@ Snoek: Hey snoek!…you guys must be looking forward to this weekend’s game hey 🙂 Nothing like a bit of bul steak washed down with a couple of german brewski’s 🙂
@ bos_otter:
8
I like what i see, but is he really my type of prop. Not sure, i want a guy that can first scrum the opponents in the ground before trying to be a center.
bos_otter wrote:
It’s still the bulls in PTA, even though they are struggling a bit they will be up for a 80 min fight. It could go either way.
@ superBul: I heard he demolished Brok Harris when they played in Newlands…
My concern is that the only thing Dick Muir understands about expansive rugby is an explosion of structure, defense and american football.
@ bos_otter:
Eish does that count in his favor, brok is a abreviaton of “verbrokkekel’ . just joking.
@ superBul: lol I suppose that’s true 🙂 brok,breek,stukkend 🙂
@ bos_otter:
Die manne van WP sal weer se dis oor hy sy teenstanders brok, breeek , brokkel….hahaha
@ superBul:
Brok, brokkel, broktop
“South Africa to replicate the expansive game” is this our newfound style of play, meant to have the world shaking in their boots? whaaa ha ha ha 🙂
Anyway…I think the Boks have had their much needed wake-up call, and I’m actually feeling pretty positive about the northern hemisphere autum internationals…..and guess what…we have the Kiwi’s and Auzies to thank for it. Now our problem area’s has been identified, we can only improve. I think the Boks will have much to prove, and will go out all guns blazing!!
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