Durban – The Springboks have been flying under the radar this week in Durban after the pressure of last week’s must-win Test against the Pumas in Buenos Aires, and the focus in training has been on perfecting the execution of set moves while tapering off on the heavy conditioning.
“We don’t want any injuries now, the guys are nervous enough as it is in the countdown to the squad announcement on Friday, and we are having a series of semi-contact sessions against Namibia to ensure all boxes are ticked as far as our game plan is concerned,” said backline coach Ricardo Loubscher.
The Boks are running through their attack and defence drills against their African neighbours who have shown in their warm-up games that they are going to be far more competitive in this World Cup than they were in 2011.
“This week our accent is very much on getting right the things we can control on the field in England, but that does not mean we are not intending to have a full go on attack if the situation presents itself,” the former Springbok and Sharks fullback said.
There has been considerable debate in recent months as to whether this World Cup will see a departure from the dour arm wrestles that typify the knock-out stages.
“The conditions in the Northern hemisphere are not as severe at this time of year (autumn, as opposed to winter) and a lot of the games are on soccer pitches, which allow for faster play (because of shorter grass), and I think we will see more tries being scored at this World Cup,” Loubscher said.
“The crucial thing is that you have options open to you and can play more than one type of game,” he said. “We feel we are in a good place because in Buenos Aires we showed we can play a tighter game and grind out a win if required, but in the Rugby Championship we also showed against the best teams in the world that we can score brilliant tries.
“You have to have the balance right between a tactical game and having an awareness and confidence to use the ball when the opportunities are there,” Loubscher said.
The coach said that players were in a very good mental space after having trans-formed humiliation in Durban into a morale-boosting away win against the Pumas.
“The players have had their reminder of their responsibility to the jersey and of ensuring they do justice to it,” Loubscher said. “Mentally, it is a good place to be. You know you are fallible but you also know you can turn it on under pressure, and then you have to keep that up week-in and week-out.” - The Star