Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has spent the last week dissuading the fickle South African rugby public from expecting his side to suddenly start playing like the Lions.
Coetzee is not only under pressure to win Test matches‚ but also to do it with panache if swathes of social media comments are used as a gauge of the prevailing mood.
The Lions‚ who reached the Super Rugby final but were vanquished by the Hurricanes last week‚ demonstrated this year that South African players do have the skill and mental fortitude to match New Zealand players – widely regarded as the benchmark in professional rugby.
And South Africans want the Springboks to play like the Lions.
History‚ though‚ shows that Test rugby‚ especially between top tier nations‚ is a far cry from even the most compelling Super Rugby contest.
Margins for error are minute and pressure is doubled.
The Lions have provided nine players to the Bok squad and of those only half are likely to start.
The All Blacks‚ by way of comparison‚ selected nine Crusaders but only five players from the Super Rugby winning Hurricanes.
Test requirements are different to Super Rugby needs.
Coetzee continued to warn against anticipation that the Springboks would simply copy the Lions blueprint and expect the same results.
“International rugby is clearly different to franchise rugby. You have to understand that‚” Coetzee told a media gathering in Johannesburg.
“The conditions that you will be exposed to‚ as you saw in the final‚ are a challenge on its own .
“We want to play the conditions and we want to play to the strengths of our team. We will continue doing that to get the balance right. If you look at the squad we’ve selected‚ it was with the first challenge against Argentina in mind.”
The Boks take on Los Pumas in Nelspruit next week before heading to Salta for the return fixture seven days later.
Argentina have been a tough opponent for the Boks in recent years‚ which included a draw at home and then a sensational win in Durban last year.
“If you can’t do your set phases right at Test level then there isn’t a running game‚” Coetzee said.
“And there will be a running game once you earn the right to dominate the advantage line and get gainline. Then there will be space and time to play the running game.
“But don’t ever think that rugby will change to the point where kicking and defence are out of the game. In fact the Hurricanes in their last two games – the semi-final and final – kicked and tackled the most. Who won those games?
“We aren’t going to reinvent the wheel. We had a look at Argentina and why they beat us and how they beat us in Durban. We based our selections on that‚ and not what is happening currently at franchise level.
“Yes‚ where we as South Africans and Springboks can improve‚ but you have to do the basics well.” — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
Coetzee at pains to dissuade talk of the Boks copying the Lions blueprint
Coetzee is not only under pressure to win Test matches‚ but also to do it with panache if swathes of social media comments are used as a gauge of the prevailing mood.
The Lions‚ who reached the Super Rugby final but were vanquished by the Hurricanes last week‚ demonstrated this year that South African players do have the skill and mental fortitude to match New Zealand players – widely regarded as the benchmark in professional rugby.
And South Africans want the Springboks to play like the Lions.
History‚ though‚ shows that Test rugby‚ especially between top tier nations‚ is a far cry from even the most compelling Super Rugby contest.
Margins for error are minute and pressure is doubled.
The Lions have provided nine players to the Bok squad and of those only half are likely to start.
The All Blacks‚ by way of comparison‚ selected nine Crusaders but only five players from the Super Rugby winning Hurricanes.
Test requirements are different to Super Rugby needs.
Coetzee continued to warn against anticipation that the Springboks would simply copy the Lions blueprint and expect the same results.
“International rugby is clearly different to franchise rugby. You have to understand that‚” Coetzee told a media gathering in Johannesburg.
“The conditions that you will be exposed to‚ as you saw in the final‚ are a challenge on its own .
“We want to play the conditions and we want to play to the strengths of our team. We will continue doing that to get the balance right. If you look at the squad we’ve selected‚ it was with the first challenge against Argentina in mind.”
The Boks take on Los Pumas in Nelspruit next week before heading to Salta for the return fixture seven days later.
Argentina have been a tough opponent for the Boks in recent years‚ which included a draw at home and then a sensational win in Durban last year.
“If you can’t do your set phases right at Test level then there isn’t a running game‚” Coetzee said.
“And there will be a running game once you earn the right to dominate the advantage line and get gainline. Then there will be space and time to play the running game.
“But don’t ever think that rugby will change to the point where kicking and defence are out of the game. In fact the Hurricanes in their last two games – the semi-final and final – kicked and tackled the most. Who won those games?
“We aren’t going to reinvent the wheel. We had a look at Argentina and why they beat us and how they beat us in Durban. We based our selections on that‚ and not what is happening currently at franchise level.
“Yes‚ where we as South Africans and Springboks can improve‚ but you have to do the basics well.” — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
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