There is a lot that Teboho ‘Oupa’ Mohoje has managed to get right in his second coming in the Springbok jersey, but it has been made hollow by the three consecutive defeats the team has suffered in the Rugby Championship.
Having all but cemented his place in the number seven jersey with assured performances since the beginning of the competition, Mohoje says the team desperately need to redeem themselves in their clash against Australia at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow.
Redemption will surely be on the cards for the hosts after they lost 23-17 to the Wallabies in Brisbane three weeks ago. It was a game they shouldn’t have lost considering they raced off to a 14-3 lead early on.
As is the case in winning, losing becomes a habit and the Springboks’ loss to Australia was their second consecutive defeat in the competition. It became three in a row when they suffered defeat a week later to the All Blacks.
The Springboks will now look to arrest their misfortune and prevent another defeat, which could spell disaster for Allister Coetzee in his first year as coach and leave the team with the real possibility of ending with the wooden spoon again in the Rugby Championship after doing so last year.
Loftus won’t just be redemption for what went wrong in Brisbane but also for what has been the shortcomings of the Boks to fire on all cylinders this year.
“All we have to do is to focus on what we have to do, prepare to the best of our abilities and take it to the game this weekend. We are really looking forward to the game,” Mohoje said.
“There is a little bit of pressure but we want to win so that we can redeem ourselves as the Springboks.”
In a strange coincidence, the 26-year-old Mohoje has always had his doubters since making his international debut against Australia in Cape Town two years ago, in the same way that many have doubts that this Springbok team will regain their aura as world beaters.
However, Mohoje is a firm believer in making the best of the chances handed to him and he believes the Springboks can only get better and better and finish off the competition strongly.
Mohoje’s budding loose trio partnership with Francois Louw and Warren Whiteley remains a work in progress but it is Mohoje who has stood out with his abrasive tackling, his secure hands in the line-outs and growing confidence in leading the charge with ball in hand.
“I think that there is always room for improvement but I also think that the team have accommodated me very well since I’ve come back. I’m definitely glad to be in the mix and part of the set-up.”
“My relationship with the loosies has been going well and we’ve played a few games together now. We are also growing together and hopefully we can grow more and continue to do good things in the future,” said Mohoje.
As memorable as his debut was with the Springboks beating the Wallabies, Mohoje is hoping that the result will be the same tomorrow at Loftus as he continues to prove himself worthy of his second coming and seeing the Boks turning the corner as well.
The Star