Centre Nick De Luca insists a victory over South Africa is not essential for Scotland’s World Cup hopes.
The Scots host the Springboks after losing to New Zealand last Sunday. They need to win, and beat Tonga a week later, to secure a second seed berth for England in three years’ time.
bbc
“There’s no need to win it for the World Cup. We need to win it because collectively we want to win,” De Luca told BBC Scotland. “We think we’re good enough to beat South Africa.”
Saturday’s Test will be the 22nd meeting of South Africa and Scotland since the first in 1906. The Springboks have won 16 and lost five, including the 2010 Murrayfield defeat in torrential rain.
That triumph for Scotland came a week after a stinging defeat to the All Blacks and Edinburgh’s De Luca is eyeing a repeat success.
“We now need to go out there and show everybody we are good enough and it’s going to take an 80-minute performance from all of us,” he said
“If we manage to get top eight for the World Cup seedings that’s great, but in three years’ time the top eight might not be the top eight anymore. We need to go out and concentrate on this game.
“We’re looking for a win to beat this team, not necessarily for the World Cup pools.
“We want to beat everyone that’s put in front of us and if you want to do well in the World Cup you’ll have to beat a top seeded side.
“Obviously it makes it easier if you’re one of the top seeded sides but last World Cup we were up against two better seeds [England and Argentina] and we should have won both those games so if we’re in that situation again we’ll back ourselves and hopefully make it come good.”
De Luca will be joined in the starting XV by Edinburgh team-mate David Denton, who replaces the injured Ross Rennie.
“It’s a great feeling to be back,” explained the Zimbabwe-born number eight. “It was tough for me to take the fact I wasn’t starting [against New Zealand] but I feel I worked hard and played well when I came on.
“South Africa are a really physical team and they play good rugby.
“It will be aggressive and I’m relishing the opportunity to test myself against the best exponents of the style I like to play.
“I’m looking to be physical, aggressive and carry the ball well.”
I know this is not about rugby. But the way our Rand is going it will be useless come next year this time, if it continues like this. Think it is a worry actually.
Okay see you up there gbs, get cracking now get us a review thread of the game tomorrow, or we will start another marathon music thread here……..
30 @ Puma:
Oh, you’re talking about PREVIEWS, not REVIEWS.
A PREVIEW discusses the game to come still
A REVIEW discusses or analizes the actual game and result.
Will do a PREVIEW tonight early then, for now it’s off to clients in Pretoria.
(PS! Stormersboy is not an Author here yet… I’m still worried about his alliance to Voldy…. hehehehe. Might actually not be a bad idea to ask him whether he wants to become our Official STORMERS and WP correspondent though, now that Kickers will be going to Mud Island and cannot go sit in the Press Box on Game Days)
Ja, and to kick it off check this out, nothing better than a pretty girl who can rock a mean guitar with the best of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVfh0UqvOzE&feature=plcp
83 @ grootblousmile:
Sorry man, of course I meant PREVIEW. Just sommer slot in the P there okay. We need to have a preview of the games before they are played and after as well (review) We need to do both before and after… 😛
34 @ Stormersboy:
Very spunky and pretty girl, this Kelly Rosenthal!
Sy’t nou so een of twee van my snare ook so vinnig-vinnig getokkel…. hehehe
Eish ek moet Pretoorsdorp toe! Bye!
@ grootblousmile:
veilig ry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iZnSM_oTLk
34 @ Stormersboy:
Ja, a very pretty girl that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofA3URC1wyk
If you watched Boots last night you would already have heard Mallett say this:
This from Sports24
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mallett: Have a crack, Boks
2012-11-16 14:01
Cape Town – Former coach Nick Mallett has urged the Springboks to “have a crack” and attempt to show off some new dimensions when they tackle Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday (16:30 SA time).
Speaking on the SuperSport rugby programme Boots & All, the outspoken Mallett said it remained all too apparent that the preferred Bok method was use of “the battering ram and broadsword rather than the rapier … we don’t use line-breaks”.
He felt the time was right to broaden their battle-plan at Murrayfield against a team ranked ninth in the world.
“If you’re not going to have a go at a team like Scotland then when are you? Against sides that can match us physically, we have got to show that we do have backline moves to score tries … (and demonstrate) a bit of deception.”
While welcoming incumbent coach Heyneke Meyer’s inclusion of Juan de Jongh at outside centre, Mallett said he would have liked to see him go further by trying out Jaco Taute at fullback and Lwazi Mvovo at left wing and then giving them a licence for some enterprise.
“If you are going to pick (Pat) Lambie at flyhalf, why ask him to kick up-and-unders? Let him attack the gain-line and try to get somebody like De Jongh into gaps.
“By staying so structured, you might as well carry on with (Morne) Steyn who is good at that tactical kicking.”
Mallett, whose late-1997 Bok side ran riot 68-10 at Murrayfield, said Scotland were probably of similar ability to the Irish side the Boks came from behind against to beat 16-12 in Dublin last weekend.
“We can play an awful lot better than we did against Ireland, and hopefully win by 10 to 15 points.
“They can’t shout from the rooftops about (last Saturday’s victory) … it was a shocking first half against a not particularly strong team and in the second, give them credit, the Boks were far more disciplined, (albeit) without attacking rugby.
“These are desperate times if we can’t be favourites against a team ranked ninth or 10th.”
Mallett agreed that a bright aspect of the turnaround against the Irish was the performance off the bench of Leinster-based loosehead prop Heinke van der Merwe.
“I’ve always thought he was a fantastic scrummager, and he was unluckly a couple of years back to have his way blocked by Beast (Mtawarira) and Gurthro (Steenkamp).
“JC Janse van Rensburg of the Lions has been unlucky too; he scrummed outstandingly and gave every tighthead in the Currie Cup a lot of trouble, and in Super Rugby too.
“We are very fortunate at present to have lots of fine looseheads, if you throw in young (Steven) Kitshoff as well.”
Ja I’m a huge Joe Bonamassa fan Puma, he’s one of the modern greats.
42 @ Stormersboy:
Yes one of the greats for sure, enjoy most of his stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsNTmjlf1vI
Not sure what happened there, just played that video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VKouBHarIo
This brings back early memories in Scotland on News Eve
@ Puma:
Great stuff Puma, thx!!!
47 @ Pietman:
Thanks Piet, just got caught up now watching a few of their videos on youtube.
Another great band from Scotland Simple Minds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHi6gP3xkvg
Not as much of a Waterboys fan, some of the stuff is ok, but I don’t go mad for them.. 🙂
50 @ Stormersboy:
I enjoy quite a bit of their music. Always reminds me of News Years Eve in Scotland. One of my mates that we used to visit there years back used to always play their music. Brings back some great memories.
@ Stormersboy:
Jy is te jonk man, Waterboys is vir ons toppies!!!
52 @ Pietman:
Tell em Piet…..
Good morning/afternoon/evening folks just popped in for a little bit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFLJFl7ws_0
54 @ Bullscot:
Howzit Bullscot.
Remember that number 8 I was talking to you about? It is DENTON….LOL. He is playing tomorrow, got it wrong though he is from Zim, but went to school in PE. Still speaks with a saffa accent. I thought he played against us the last time, not so got it wrong, saw him in the 6 Nations playing for Scotland. Very good 8 rate him.
Here’s a group that don’t think many of yo will know, seen them live and they are a fantastic act, not the best of recording but gives a taste of the Peatbog Faeries :
and another one:
Another one that may be lesser known, Colin McIntyre or Mull Historical Society, nice chilled stuff:
56 @ Puma:
Hi ya Puma hope you doing good, ok glad you got the answer, think we did speak about Denton but I mentioned that we was from Zimbabwe so thats why didn’t think it was him you were thinking about, what do you think of the latest music up?
59 @ Bullscot:
Going to listen now bud, will tell you.
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