- Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said they’ve got the answers they’ve wanted from the opening two Rugby Championship games despite the mixed results over the past two weekends in Tshwane and Auckland.
- They beat Australia 43-12 last week with a largely second-string team, but were brought down to earth by the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.
- Nienaber lamented their inability to convert their opportunities into something more tangible, especially in the first half.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said they received the answers they were looking for in their two Rugby Championship fixtures despite their 35-20 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.
The Springboks’ team management sent an advance party in the lead-up to last week’s Wallaby Test, won 43-12 by a largely second-string side.
Several of those players started at the Mount Smart Stadium and some rustiness was evident as the All Blacks stormed into what became an insurmountable 17-0 lead in 16 minutes.
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In a World Cup year, coaches have to load their selection dice very carefully and hope they get some answers from particular players.
Nienaber backed their strategy to have a group of 13 players fly to New Zealand a week earlier with the World Cup on the horizon.
“The whole idea was to go with the strategy we had and most of the guys have had an opportunity to play,” Nienaber said.
“We’ve got one more Rugby Championship game left, from where we have three warm-up games before the World Cup.
“Our plan was to win the Rugby Championship and also to assess because we still have four more games to get our house in order before we go to the World Cup.
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“We’ve got good answers from both games.”
Nienaber thought lamented how they didn’t make better use of their opportunities in the first half when they mounted their belated fightback.
Cheslin Kolbe had what looked like a dot-down from a cross-kick chalked off for a knock-on, while Eben Etzebeth seemed to have crossed the line on the stroke of half-time, only for the Boks to be penalised for a neck-roll committed by Lood de Jager.
Nienaber said their kicking game, which was patently inferior to the All Blacks’ on the night, wasn’t found wanting, but they were hurt by an inability to consistently convert opportunities into points, similarly to the corresponding Ellis Park fixture last year.
“I wouldn’t look at the kicking game in general, but I think, just like the Ellis Park game, we didn’t start well, nor did we use our opportunities well,” Nienaber said.
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“We were over the try line with Kolbe’s try before it was ruled a knock-on and Eben was also over the line.
“When you play against the All Blacks, even when the smallest of opportunities come your way, you have to use them.
“We were over the line and we didn’t get those points, which was similar script to the Ellis Park game where we crossed the line, but didn’t get the points.”