Bok team shaping up nicely – Jean

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says his team is "shaping nicely" despite a scratchy performance against Italy. Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says his team is "shaping nicely" despite a scratchy performance against Italy. Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images

Published Nov 24, 2014

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Cardiff – Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says his team is “shaping nicely” despite a scratchy performance against Italy, but he is looking for better execution on attack in this weekend’s final tour Test against Wales.

The Boks had more than enough ball and territory to put the Italians away before finally doing so in the last quarter, but a lack of invention and dynamism on attack turned what should’ve been a comfortable victory into a long afternoon at the Stadio Euganeo.

The Italians are a capable unit when it comes to the set-pieces and bringing their robust physicality to bear on the opposition, but they have historically been bereft of ideas when it comes to backline play, which was again the case on Saturday.

So, a better-equipped side like Wales will certainly be able to punish the Boks if they fail to capitalise on their try-scoring opportunities, while the home side’s pack will also be strong in the scrums and line-outs and have a good rush defence system.

The defeat to Ireland in Dublin was exactly down to the Boks not being able to strike when in the opposition’s 22, and they need to avert a repeat if they want to finish off 2014 on a winning note. Warren Gatland’s Welsh side have had their hearts broken once more by the Wallabies and All Blacks with narrow losses in the last two weeks, so they will be going all out to finally grab a major southern hemisphere scalp for the first time since they beat Australia in November 2008.

“I thought the level of this game was good. We probably didn’t execute the way we wanted to, but I thought we varied our game well between keeping it tight and mauling, and then taking it wide and being a little bit more expansive,” De Villiers said after the Italy match.

“(Gaining dominance) probably came a little bit later than what we expected. Even in the first half, we had so many opportunities and we applied so much pressure, and we just didn’t get the scoreboard pressure that we wanted and the reward for our attack.

“So, it’s again one of those games where it’s just not working out. But the one thing that this team never lack is commitment, and if we have that, then we will win games. It might not be pretty, but we’ll win. And I think tonight is one of those occasions where the guys were very committed, and we probably felt that we were better than the 16-point winning margin. But we will take it and now it’s another tough game next week Saturday.”

De Villiers felt that the players coming off the bench sparked the Boks into life against Italy, with all of Bismarck du Plessis, Nizaam Carr, Handré Pollard and Willie le Roux having a big impact in the last quarter as the South Africans scored two tries to hold out for victory.

“Credit to the bench and the time when the coach sent the bench on. They made a massive difference, they upped the tempo and intensity. So, I’m really proud with the way the guys performed – guys like Trevor (Nyakane) in his first start for South Africa, he had a great game,” said the 33-year-old centre.

“Coenie (Oosthuizen) at tighthead, who’s been written off so many times and came through not just as a scrummaging tighthead, but as a ball-carrying tighthead, making his tackles and all of that. Oupa (Mohoje) at seven is so comfortable in that position now. Goose (Johan Goosen) coming in at 15, Nemo (Carr) coming on, Julian (Redelinghuys) coming on, guys making a difference. Lood (de Jager) making an impact again defensively.

“So, this team is shaping nicely, and the depth is getting there.”

Bok coach Heyneke Meyer will have to call on some of that depth against Wales as he will be without his overseas-based players this weekend as the match falls outside of the official Test window. So, of the team that featured against Italy, fullback Goosen, wings Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen, and replacement prop Gurthro Steenkamp won’t play at the Millennium Stadium.

And last night, Seabelo Senatla was released back to the Bok Sevens side to prepare for the upcoming IRB World Series, so Lwazi Mvovo and Cornal Hendricks will probably start on the wings, while Willie le Roux is the obvious choice at fullback – although Meyer may want to evaluate Pat Lambie as a No 15 again and install Handré Pollard at flyhalf.

The fitness of first-choice props Tendai Mtawarira (fatigue) and Jannie du Plessis (hamstring) will also be tested today after the Boks arrived in Cardiff last night from Padova. - The Star

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