Boks have to win

Win at all costs. The simple, non-negotiable option left for the Springboks as they head into this Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld.
The three changes made to the team by coach, Allister Coetzee, signal the Boks will be looking for a much more pragmatic approach, but it also underlines the need for experience and good decision-making on the day from the players in the team.

Coetzee has pressed pause on the Elton Jantjies-Faf de Klerk experiment after the wheels came off in the two overseas matches in the Rugby Championship.

The coach and the team now need a victory more than anything else.

With the All Blacks waiting next weekend, the Boks have no other option but to beat the Wallabies and then hope to build on that against the current World Champions.
The Boks are wary of the Wallabies and their new-found confidence that started with the Boks’ own poor performance in Brisbane. But there is simply no other option for Coetzee’s men on home soil.

“The Aussies have got a bit of rhythm since they played us last and also against Argentina. That is what we as a group need; we need to get the result,” Coetzee admitted.

“They are a good quality side if you have a look at their team. They have experience all across the field. It is important for us to come up with a 10/10 performance this weekend, we have to.”

To this end, 51-test veteran Pat Lambie was jettisoned into the starting line-up at fullback, a position he plays less than his regular fly half role, despite only having 35 minutes of action for the Cell C Sharks since returning from a serious concussion.

Coetzee is adamant though that Lambie is “oozing with confidence” and starting with Lambie won’t be a gamble. Well, at least less of a gamble than Johan Goosen’s inconsistent play this season.
“The changes are changes that we need at this point in time in terms of the way we want to play and the plan we have for Saturday,” Coetzee said.

“At 15 Patrick is a player with 51 test caps, so he comes with a lot of experience. Pat Lambie, and understand it clearly, is not injured anymore. He has played for the Sharks. At training I saw Pat oozing with confidence and as a Springbok, knowing that it is a great opportunity again to play for the Boks, he is ready to play.

“He comes with leadership and know-how, and understanding of what we want to achieve this week. Therefore Pat’s inclusion is not something that is a gamble at all.”

The other changes see former Bulls and Boks point machine Morne Steyn return to the side after loitering on the fringes with a change to add to his 703 test points for the Springboks.
He will be partnered by Loftus regular Rudy Paige who is known for his crisp service. Paige will get his run-on debut on his home ground.

“They are familiar with the conditions playing at Loftus. I don’t think they’ve played a lot together, I think when Rudy joined the Bulls, Morne had left already.

“That is not the issue, the issue is the plan, and it has gone well at training this week. I’m happy for both of them for the opportunity.

“Morne has been with the team for a long time, he has been in and out of the squad and it shows the character of the player, he has always been trying to improve, trying to get it right and trying to get back into the team. I wish him well and I know he will have a good game on Saturday.”

Coetzee was also at pains to explain that those dropped – Jantjies, De Klerk and Goosen – haven’t been thrown away but will remain part of the Bok setup and will be expected to work on their shortcomings to return stronger in the long run.

It is quite clear that the Bok coach needs a win more than anything right now, and that the experienced backline he put out for this match needs to do the job.

The transition is likely to continue when the pressure abates, but for now, with three losses in a row, the Boks need to reverse this trend.

“The message to the players is that they are part of a 31-man squad that will probably stay together for a very long time. The second message is that if you have made mistakes within the group, that is part of growing up,” Coetzee said.

“Part of test rugby is getting that experience and when you get your opportunity again to improve on that again because that is a choice – that second time. I am a guy who believes in second chances and I am sure they will learn from experience. It isn’t that all of a sudden they become bad players, not at all.

“On the contrary they might be available to play against New Zealand as well.” – www.supersport.com