South Africa will look to replicate the expansive game that saw them score five tries against Australia last week, when the Springboks and Wallabies go head-to-head in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Jan de Koning, rugby365
Bok coach Peter de Villiers said his team will work on their “attitude” this week, as they look to finish their Tri-Nations campaign on a high.
After losing their opening four games of the tournament – scoring five tries and getting just a solitary bonus point for losing by less than seven points to New Zealand – South Africa bounced back with a thrilling come-from-behind 44-31 win over Australia in Pretoria.
Despite going down by 14 points twice in the match – 0-14 after four minutes and 7-21 after 14 minutes – and with the Wallabies scoring four tries inside the first 26 minutes, the Boks managed to outscore the Aussies by five tries to four and kept them scoreless for the last half-hour.
“If we can go out on Saturday with that same mindset, it is going to be great for us,” De Villiers told a media gathering in Bloemfontein.
He said that with the right mindset, of playing a more attacking game, the players will see the opportunities more readily.
VALUE OF DICK MUIR
“Our attitude will be the first thing we’ll work on and then we’ll take it from there,” De Villiers said of the team’s preparations, adding “Our systems are in place and we create great opportunities. [It is that] just sometimes we don’t take those chances.”
The Boks’ head coach was also full of praise for backline coach Dick Muir, who has come under fire when the backs were not performing according to the expected standards.
“That is where Dicky [Muir] is so valuable to this team,” De Villiers said, adding: “When Dick says: ‘Let’s run the ball’, a lot of people think we just want to throw it wide.
“We want to run the ball within our system.
“That is why I’m so glad we didn’t fall into that defensive mode [in Pretoria last Saturday].
“Sometimes you are so scared of not making mistakes that it stops you from taking the opportunities that are there.
“So if we can get that [same] mindset we had [last] Saturday, by creating the opportunities and taking them that will be great.”
De Villiers said he believed his side had achieved a lot with the victory over Australia, even though they let in three tries in the opening 14 minutes.
“We’ve definitely achieved a lot.
“Many people look at the moment, but we look at the structures we have and the impact we made with the World Cup in mind.
“If you remember what happened the week before and you add that to this past weekend, then there is a good platform for the guys to work on.
“Every brick that we lay in this foundation now needs to be the right one for the World Cup.
“This is our biggest concern now – how do we handle the players psychogically, physically and how their own situations are managed,” he added.
August 31st, 2010 at 7:46 pm
So the latest game plan seems
to be attitude.
And getting the ball to the
wings is obviously not part
of the strategy.
I often catch myself feeling
sympathy for the players stuck
with this coach and his two main
accomplices.
August 31st, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Nope, it starts with basics…
August 31st, 2010 at 8:06 pm
The Boks’ head coach was also full of praise for backline coach Dick Muir, who has come under fire when the backs were not performing according to the expected standards.
Well clown, Guthro’s try came after a set piece, Pierre’s try came after set piece.
Frans try came after Aussie mistake
And the forwards made 61 tackles against 43 from the backline, the backline missed 11 tackle against the 3 from the forwards. Meters gain the forwards avarage 72% and the back 73%.
Now please tell me how the Dick is doing so great for the backline?
August 31st, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 8:06 pm:
Should I point out the obvious or should I let you marinade in the bullshit of your post a bit…?
August 31st, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Time for me to finish food, I will have to let you marinade in that for a bit.
Later.
August 31st, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Reply to Morné @ 8:18 pm: EK het gese gaan kak
August 31st, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Reply to Morné @ 8:21 pm: No you don not have to I know the Dick is kak
August 31st, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I don’t remember the line attacking. They don’t seem to have an attacking strategy using backs running with the ball, although is that Dick Muir’s fault? Have to say that when Alistair Coetzee ran the back line we used to attack much better.
http://fromthebottomoftheruck.blogspot.com/
August 31st, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Reply to Fromthebottomoftheruck @ 9:45 pm: Agree
August 31st, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Reply to Fromthebottomoftheruck @ 9:45 pm:
Allister better?
Seriously?
I am hardly a fan of Dick but that is quite a statement…
Anycase, I will let the comments flow for tonight, let stuff marinade a bit.
I will respond in the morning…
Ciao all.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Reply to Morné @ 9:56 pm:
Hehehehe.
Netnou beskyt hy homself
van die spanning om te wag.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 10:01 pm:
August 31st, 2010 at 10:26 pm
When you don’t phrase
carefully it leads to
this kind of headline
abroad:
De Villiers backs accused murderer
August 31st, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Dick Muirs CV at the Lions make me shiver , fark how many tries were scored against the Lions. Something to do with us conceding 17 tries so far in the 3N.
September 1st, 2010 at 3:05 am
Surely it all starts with ‘aptitude’ and the buffoon is again demonstrating his total lack of logic and what actually transpires in these past 5 tests…
As for the old “Emperor’s New Clothes” brigade… a few bit’s of glitz masks the continuing core weakness’!
Very much like the 2008 last test against Aus… when all and sundry were suddenly harping on about ‘turning the corner’ despite losing being kept score-less and Newlands, getting a hiding in Perth not too mention allowing Aus to break their RSA hoodoo!
Ah well…
September 1st, 2010 at 8:21 am
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 3:05 am: Must tell you I am not very confident for this weekend macth with all the talk from the clown this week and it is only wednesday today.
Seems almost like the clown is more in pressrooms than on the field of practise.
Ah I don’t know
September 1st, 2010 at 8:31 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 10:26 pm:
and that’s why he should shut up about things like this…
September 1st, 2010 at 9:29 am
Reply to Morné @ 9:56 pm: I am serious about Coetzee to be honest. Look at the Storemers in the S14 – best defensive record in the competition and De Jongh and Fourie the most creative centre pairing in SA. All we do with the backline now is defend and not very well at that.
http://fromthebottomoftheruck.blogspot.com/