Forget about the defeat to Argentina in Durban and the disappointing results of the past few months. In fact, forget everything the Boks have done over the past four years. What matters is the next eight weeks, says Springbok wing J P Pietersen.
The seasoned campaigner, who will play at his third World Cup from next week, says the focus of the team is only on what lies ahead in England.
The Boks kick off their Pool B challenge with a match against Japan next Saturday.
The Boks go into the tournament on the back of Rugby Championship losses to Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, and plenty of questions are being asked about the make-up of the side, with several players coming off lengthy injury lay-offs.
However Pietersen, only 29 years old, says the Boks are not looking to avenge their quarter-final exit at the hands of Australia four years ago, or what went wrong in the Rugby Championship.
“Going to this World Cup and trying to win it has been our goal for the past four years, ever since coach Heyneke (Meyer) came in. We’re going there with a clean sheet. What happened in the Rugby Championship is in the past. Our focus now is only on Japan, and then we’ll take it a game at a time.
“The Rugby Championship was a learning curve for us, and we’ve worked on and corrected a number of things from what we learned. That’s what we did in Durban (at the camp) for five weeks,” said Pietersen.
The big winger is also looking to regain his best form after an indifferent few years, in which he struggled with injury and was also used as a centre.
He’s hoping to reach the standards he set during the 2007 World Cup, when the Boks went all the way and lifted the trophy.
“In 2007 I was still young, and there was a lot of excitement. I was just keen to get out there and play. In 2011 I knew more about what was expected, but I wasn’t at my best, and this year I know myself even better.
“I think you’ll probably see a different J P in 2015 – maybe people will talk about the J P Pietersen of 2015 afterwards, and not the J P of 2007 any more.
“I can’t wait to get there. We’ve trained hard, skills-wise and on our conditioning, so I’m feeling really good. We’ve got a great squad – there’s lots of experience, but there are also youngsters, so the blend is just right. Like the coach said to us the other day: ‘If everything goes well, we’ll see the best rugby South Africa have ever played at a World Cup.’”
Pietersen, who can also play at outside centre, will be a key man in the Bok back division. He could well have rookies Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel on his inside in the early games, and also Willie le Roux at the back, so his experience could be crucial.
He knows South Africa is expecting a big performance from him and the team.
“There are a lot of people out there who look up to us. We have a responsibility to win, and we’ll be trying to do that. Our goal is to go out there and make this nation proud again.” - The Star