Dublin – The Springboks arrived in Ireland’s capital city yesterday to sunshine rather than the expected rain, and they will hope to keep that warm, fuzzy feeling from beating the All Blacks going this weekend.
And despite their last match having been that dramatic 27-25 victory over New Zealand at Ellis Park nearly a month ago, the Boks are not thinking that they are suddenly world-beaters.
Instead of just celebrating the long-awaited triumph over the world champions and then taking a holiday, Heyneke Meyer and his management team have drilled the troops over the last two weeks in Stellenbosch and Johannesburg in preparation for this tour.
While this tour could be seen as a precursor to next year’s Rugby World Cup, which will be played in England, the Boks know that they have four hard games over the next month and can’t look too far ahead. And the English may be viewed as the toughest opposition, but Ireland are the current Six Nations champions and will be difficult to knock over at a packed Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Coach Meyer and captain Jean de Villiers have insisted that the Bok focus is entirely on Ireland, and yesterday blindside flank Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje, emphasised where the Boks’ priorities lie at the moment.
“It’s actually my first experience in Europe, so I can’t wait to see what it has in store for us. But we are here for one mission, and that is to take a win out of the game this weekend,” he said yesterday.
“We prepared well over the last two weeks in Stellenbosch and Johannesburg. We worked very hard and focused on our detail, and we should be ready for this game. It was very disappointing that the Cheetahs couldn’t reach the Currie Cup semi-finals and I am sad that we couldn’t make it, but at the end of the day, the best teams will go through to the semis and finals. And (the extra-time off) was also very good preparation for me for this tour.
“This tour is some kind of preparation for the World Cup because we are here as well. So we can get used to the conditions and we will be familiar with the conditions, and how England and all the other teams play.
“So you can say that it is preparation for (the World Cup), but we cannot focus that far down the line. We need to focus on the next game and take it a game at a time.”
Mohoje made his Test debut off the bench against Scotland in Port Elizabeth in June, but got his big break when he was handed a start against the Wallabies at Newlands in Cape Town in the loose trio alongside Marcell Coetzee and Duane Vermeulen.
He followed up a somewhat quiet game with a much more industrious performance against the All Blacks, where he carried the ball more often, took a few good line-out balls and got stuck in on defence.
So, the 24-year-old has a 100 percent win record in his three Tests, and hopes to kick on with his dream season against the Irish this weekend after starting the year as the Shimlas captain in the Varsity Cup.
He emerged from a difficult time in the build-up to the Wallaby Test probably as a stronger person when there were questions raised about whether his selection was on merit or not, Mohoje blowing away all those doubts against the All Blacks.
“It’s been an exciting year, I really can’t complain about the year. I just have to take it as it comes, and learn as much as I can. I feel that I still have a lot to learn as the leap happened so quickly. So, in that period, there was just so little (time) to learn, so I need to keep learning, grow and experience things and become a better player in the future,” he said.
“The past two games were very good. There was a little bit of pressure, but the teammates and the coaches helped me and calmed me down, and Coach (Meyer) told me that I should just play my game, enjoy it. If you make mistakes, then make mistakes – don’t be scared to do anything. And I think that’s what made me calm down a bit and I could play.”
Meanwhile, star lock Eben Etzebeth will only join up with the Boks in Dublin tomorrow following a family bereavement. Meyer said though that it wouldn’t affect the team’s readiness for the Irish Test.
“I know Eben will slot back in seamlessly as he’s been with us for the last two weeks’ preparation in South Africa,” said Meyer.
All the overseas-based Boks were set to arrive in camp last night, with Schalk Burger (Japan), Morné Steyn and Johan Goosen (both France) already at the team hotel in the afternoon. Bryan Habana and Bakkies Botha would’ve been two of the late arrivals after they featured for Toulon against Grenoble yesterday, with both Boks scoring tries in a runaway victory.
The Bok management said that scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, who is based at Irish club Ulster, is set to undergo a fitness test today regarding his continued knee injury. - The Star