Cape Town - The Springboks haven’t won in Australia since 2013. So, motivation loading ...
The Boks will face the Wallabies in Adelaide for the first time on Saturday, and that alone would make victory this weekend a sweet one.
But besides the ‘novelty’ of a Boks v Wallabies fixture in Adelaide, after playing most of their Tests in Perth and Brisbane over the last few years, coach Jacques Nienaber and his team will be desperate to return to the form that saw them become world champions.
That will start with passing what will be a few tough remaining Rugby Championship tests. After the first Test in Adelaide, they face Australia again in Sydney a week later, before concluding their campaign with back-to-back games against Argentina in Buenos Aires and Durban on September 17 and 24.
The two countries have met 41 times Down Under, with the Wallabies coming out on top in 27 of those meetings.
Those numbers alone should be enough to not only motivate the Boks, but also ensure that their composure is turned up to the max come Saturday.
The Boks and the Wallabies are both coming off defeats, with the South Africans having taken a 35-23 loss to the All Blacks, while the Aussies were savagely dealt with by Argentina, losing the game 48-17 in their biggest defeat to the Pumas.
The visitors will be hungry, but so too the hosts, and it’s a game in which the Boks simply cannot allow the same errors to creep in.
After that performance at Ellis Park, it was much easier to pick out players who did well as opposed to ones who flopped, such was the ratio on the day.
A good few individual performances certainly left much to be desired, but even as a collective, things still lacked.
The Springboks defence was far from its best against the Kiwis, and while there were individual errors all round in terms of their defence, the system itself wasn’t done too many favours by the backline reshuffle necessitated by Jesse Kriel leaving the field so early.
The Bomb Squad has highlighted many a rugby discussion recently, and for good reason, with Nienaber having previously admitted to the risks that come with the six-two trend. Some calls are going to have to be made in terms of whether to continue with the bench split and if it’s something that the backline can handle.
Their decision-making will also have to be sharper against Australia; choices are going to have to be made in line with the flow of the game and what the situation demands
(like going for the corner or posts), and in terms of personnel, there will no doubt be a few areas the
Bok coaching department will be watching with a keen eye.
From the series against Wales to their first two Rugby Championship outings, there has been some good, but there has also been some bad. The Boks have simply been too erratic.
As the South Africans aim to end their Australia hoodoo, they should also aim to end the inconsistency in form they’ve shown this season. And securing a historic win this weekend could be the perfect starting block.
Nienaber names his match-day 23 today.
@WynonaLouw