Combining a fair bit of Springbok news, as speculation flows…

John McFarland, Springbok defensive coach says the Springbok defences were already better last week compared to the previous game against the All Blacks.

Scribes worry and remind Bakkies Botha to keep his dicipline on field and not to succumb to the “Red Mist” od ill-dicipline and the real threat of Yellow or Red Cards.

It also appears that both the formidable frame of young Pieter-Steph du Toit (lock) and that of Patrick Lambie will be in the run-on side for the Springboks on the weekend, with scribes writing up the virtues of Pieter-Steph du Toit almost non-stop, whilst others consider Lambie the perfect fir for the Scotland game.

Defence better:

Sport24 reports that Springbok defence coach John McFarland believes they showed an improved defensive effort in their Test against Wales in Cardiff.

The Boks won 24-15 without conceding a try.

While they still made a lot of mistakes, the accuracy of their defence improved since their last outing against the All Blacks at Ellis Park when they conceded five tries in a 38-27 loss.

“Wales only broke the line three times. We kept to our structure and were very physical,” McFarland said in an interview.

“The conditions were also very different than in the Rugby Championship. There we and the All Blacks were chasing four tries for a bonus point.

“You simply have to win these tour games in the Northern Hemisphere.”

McFarland also praised the defensive efforts of two Springbok forwards, flank Willem Alberts and debutant prop Frans Malherbe.

“Willem made 19 tackles – which is a massive amount. In most of his tackles he also physically dominated his opponent and drove him backwards. He set the standard with that.

“The one who impressed me was Frans Malherbe. He made 15 tackles on his debut.”

Bakkies Botha dicipline:

Bakkies Botha is likely to make his return to the Springbok team for their clash against Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday.

Botha, 34, was recalled to the Bok squad for their end-of-year tour but was not included in the 23-man line-up for last week’s Test against Wales in Cardiff as he only joined them last Tuesday evening.

Bok coach Heyneke Meyer said that he is likely to call on Botha this weekend.

But fans will be hoping that the ‘hard but fair’ Bakkies Botha walks onto the field against Scotland and not the ‘dirty’ Bakkies who copped a 9-week ban back in 2010 for this act …

Pieter-Steph du Toit impact:

SuperSport is of the opinion that Pieter-Steph du Toit has had his introduction to international rugby and is now ready to assume the responsibility of starting his first test when the Springboks play against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The South Africans haven’t trained since they arrived in Edinburgh late on Sunday night and they won’t be in any kind of action on Tuesday either, so there hasn’t yet been a chance for the media following the tour to see Heyneke Meyer’s shadow selection for Saturday’s clash running together.

But while he stressed that he wasn’t the coach and didn’t make the selections, assistant coach John McFarland gave enough indication of the massive regard the management have for the young Sharks player to suggest this will be the weekend when the former Swartland pupil’s ship will come in when it comes to realising his international ambitions.

“Pieter-Steph is just a physical freak, and he has an engine to go along with his massive size as well,” said McFarland during the first press conference since the squad’s arrival in Scotland.

“I am not the coach, and I don’t make the decisions, but Pieter-Steph has made a start to his international career now, hasn’t he? Heyneke has been very good at earmarking and identifying talent. He spotted Pieter-Steph way back before he had even played Currie Cup rugby, when very few people knew who he was.

“Heyneke has a proven track record when it comes to bringing through players who go on to become greats in the game and I think that will be the case here.

“Apart from everything else he brings, Pieter-Steph’s work rate is incredibly high. He is up and down off the flow so quickly, and it obviously helps that in his formative years he played in the back row. His athleticism is a huge bonus for a lock.”

Du Toit has been taken under the wing of veteran Bakkies Botha on this tour, and the pair are often seen together during the team’s downtime.

The debutant spoke highly of Botha’s mentorship role when he was interviewed following the 24-15 win over Wales that started this tour and his test career in Cardiff last weekend.

With Meyer wanting to rest some of his players so that his men can deal effectively with what is really a five-day turnaround between the Edinburgh match and the final game of the tour against France in Paris the following Saturday, Du Toit looks set to showcase his prodigious talents for the first time as a member of the starting team.

SECOND CAREER

And you can take it as a sure bet that Botha will be there to guide him through his first start, and in so doing join Jaque Fourie and JP Pietersen in beginning his second career as a Bok.

Like the Japan-based pair, before this tour Botha, who like wing Bryan Habana these days plays for French club Toulon, hadn’t had any involvement with the Boks since the 2011 World Cup campaign ground to a disappointing halt in the Wellington quarterfinal against Australia.

While Botha is back with the Boks and there is even talk of a possible comeback for Victor Matfield, Meyer does back the young duo of Eben Etzebeth and Du Toit, who many feel could go on to become even better than the famous Botha/Matfield combination.

Botha’s call-up, and Matfield’s comeback if it happens, is all about backing up the young players while adding experience and mentorship to the group.

The team for the Scotland test will be named on Thursday once the squad has trained and the management have had a proper opportunity to assess the seriousness of the few bumps and bruises picked up against Wales last week.

At this stage first-choice flyhalf Morne Steyn is the only player under an injury cloud, although team doctor Craig Roberts is confident he will be in the selection mix.

“Morne has made a big improvement so it is looking positive,” said Roberts.

One thing is certain: even if the Boks do experiment with a few of their selections for Sunday’s game, the South Africans will not be taking the Scots lightly.

They have been burned too often in the past for that, and while there are seven places separating the two teams on the IRB rankings, the Boks have fresh memories of the fright Scotland gave them in a match in Nelspruit in June.

“If I recall correctly, the Scots were leading 20-3 at one stage of the first half and we had to fight really hard to come back and win that game,” said McFarland.

“That was a really tough test and we are expecting another hard game on Sunday. I don’t think they will change much from that June match. Their tactics worked for 40 minutes of the game against us last time and they will be eager to try it again.”

Patrick Lambie – the right fit for Scotland game:

Rugby365 believes that Patrick Lambie might be the perfect fit at flyhalf for the Springboks against Scotland.

Most of the fuss was about Morne Steyn’s back spasms, but Patrick Lambie may well be the player to steal the Springbok spotlight this week.

Lambie, who was earmarked to start at flyhalf against Scotland at Murrayfield this coming Sunday, received an unexpected additional 60 minutes of game time in Cardiff last Saturday – and it may just be to the Boks’ benefit.

Steyn suffered a back spasm during the warm-up and lasted just 18 minutes, before Lambie – who started at fullback – took over at flyhalf and Willie le Roux came into the last line of defence.

That is why the concerns about Steyn’s injury – which is improving enough to ensure he is likely to be available anyway – should not be a major concern.

Bok assistant coach John McFarland feels Lambie benefitted greatly from his time at flyhalf at the Millennium Stadium in the 24-15 win over Wales at the weekend.

And while the Bok medical staff will continue to keep a close eye on Steyn, Lambie is set to play a pivotal role against the Scots this coming Sunday.

“We are lucky to have two quality No.10s,” McFarland  told a media scrum at the team’s base in Edinburgh. “You need that at this level. Obviously Pat hasn’t had much game-time this year, but it was great that the got the 60 minutes that he did.  As the game went on he improved and got more comfortable with what we wanted and he did really well.”

McFarland also dismissed the notion that Lambie’s poor Currie Cup form could impact on his game as he prepares for a start in the No.10 jersey.

“In the Currie Cup Final he won the Sharks the game,” the Bok assistant said, when asked about Lambie’s poor kicking in earlier matches.

“It is great when you are a flyhalf and you are steering a team around for game management.

“When you win a big game and you play the sort of tactical game they did in Cape Town that is very encouraging to see.”