THE Springbok pack has been charged with laying the platform for the team to achieve its first objective – victory against Australia at Newlands tomorrow.
South Africa’s second goal in the encounter is to score a four-try bonus point.
This will keep their hopes of winning the Rugby Championship alive going into their final match against New Zealand next week.
The Boks are currently four points adrift of the All Blacks on the standings and cannot afford to lose even the slightest bit of ground.
The Kiwis play Argentina in La Plata in the early hours of Sunday morning and should secure at least four points from that match.
But as Bok coach Heyneke Meyer said: “There is no next week if we lose to Australia.”
The Boks simply cannot afford to lose sight of their first objective in pursuit of the second.
Although they have won five of six post-isolation meetings against Australia at Newlands, they are always close contests with the home team enjoying an average winning score of 20-19.
And even though the Boks dominated their first meeting of the year in Brisbane three weeks ago, this should be a tighter contest.
Australia are still smarting from that 38-12 home loss but are quietly confident of causing what would be a supreme upset.
“All we’ve read and heard about this week is how much the Boks are going to beat us by,” Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie said.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to challenge that.”
The return of lock James Horwill and tighthead prop Ben Alexander to the tight five from the first fixture will add some necessary power for Australia, but the Boks’ pack hardly has a weakness and the home team’s bench is loaded with heavy artillery.
With rain expected until lunchtime tomorrow the chances of the game becoming an open festival of running are slim.
And even if it were dry the Boks would still spend the better part of an hour using their brute of a pack to wear the Aussies down before opening the game up in the final quarter.
The Bok setpiece dominated in Brisbane, especially the scrum, and there is nothing to suggest that the outcome in that area of the game will be any different this time around.
“The Springboks are very good at imposing themselves physically on their opponents, but we don’t think we are bad at that either,” said McKenzie. “We feel like we are right in the groove for a good performance. I’m concerned with the scrums every week, sorting that area out and the quality of the ball we get from there is pretty important.”
Meyer has made only one change to the pack from the team that won in Brisbane, bringing in hooker Adriaan Strauss for Bismarck du Plessis. They hardly lose anything with that rotation.
The recall of veteran scrumhalf Fourie du Preez to the starting lineup will improve the Boks’ tactical kicking game and also their option taking. In potentially tricky conditions those two traits will be vital to success.
But the game will be won and lost upfront and despite Australia’s moderate improvement their pack doesn’t have the firepower to go the distance with the Springboks over 80 minutes.
The Wallabies are proud and committed, but that’s not enough to topple the Boks if the home team plays well. Australia would need a tepid South African performance coupled with their own season’s best outing to upset the Boks. Both scenarios are highly unlikely.
Boks in fight of their lives
South Africa’s second goal in the encounter is to score a four-try bonus point.
This will keep their hopes of winning the Rugby Championship alive going into their final match against New Zealand next week.
The Boks are currently four points adrift of the All Blacks on the standings and cannot afford to lose even the slightest bit of ground.
The Kiwis play Argentina in La Plata in the early hours of Sunday morning and should secure at least four points from that match.
But as Bok coach Heyneke Meyer said: “There is no next week if we lose to Australia.”
The Boks simply cannot afford to lose sight of their first objective in pursuit of the second.
Although they have won five of six post-isolation meetings against Australia at Newlands, they are always close contests with the home team enjoying an average winning score of 20-19.
And even though the Boks dominated their first meeting of the year in Brisbane three weeks ago, this should be a tighter contest.
Australia are still smarting from that 38-12 home loss but are quietly confident of causing what would be a supreme upset.
“All we’ve read and heard about this week is how much the Boks are going to beat us by,” Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie said.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to challenge that.”
The return of lock James Horwill and tighthead prop Ben Alexander to the tight five from the first fixture will add some necessary power for Australia, but the Boks’ pack hardly has a weakness and the home team’s bench is loaded with heavy artillery.
With rain expected until lunchtime tomorrow the chances of the game becoming an open festival of running are slim.
And even if it were dry the Boks would still spend the better part of an hour using their brute of a pack to wear the Aussies down before opening the game up in the final quarter.
The Bok setpiece dominated in Brisbane, especially the scrum, and there is nothing to suggest that the outcome in that area of the game will be any different this time around.
“The Springboks are very good at imposing themselves physically on their opponents, but we don’t think we are bad at that either,” said McKenzie. “We feel like we are right in the groove for a good performance. I’m concerned with the scrums every week, sorting that area out and the quality of the ball we get from there is pretty important.”
Meyer has made only one change to the pack from the team that won in Brisbane, bringing in hooker Adriaan Strauss for Bismarck du Plessis. They hardly lose anything with that rotation.
The recall of veteran scrumhalf Fourie du Preez to the starting lineup will improve the Boks’ tactical kicking game and also their option taking. In potentially tricky conditions those two traits will be vital to success.
But the game will be won and lost upfront and despite Australia’s moderate improvement their pack doesn’t have the firepower to go the distance with the Springboks over 80 minutes.
The Wallabies are proud and committed, but that’s not enough to topple the Boks if the home team plays well. Australia would need a tepid South African performance coupled with their own season’s best outing to upset the Boks. Both scenarios are highly unlikely.
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