Boks want to make Wallabies pay

 

Attacking opportunities were few and far between in the two narrow defeats in Australasia, and De Villiers wants his side to show that they can make the most of the chances they get on Saturday.

 

Both teams have been speaking about how they would like dry conditions to play with the ball in hand, and the Springbok captain says it is about capitalising by using the space on offer intelligently when they get the chance.

 

"We would like to capitalise, it is not about time spent in the opposition half, it is what you do with that possession.

 

"It is about being able to convert that into try-scoring opportunities and scoring those tries. It is about assessing the situation, seeing where the space is and getting the ball into that space," he said.

 

The Boks are hoping to build on the progress they made in the set-pieces and on defence in their last two games, and De Villiers said that one area of focus is building pressure through protecting possession. 

 

"It was frustrating, we tried to take the positives out of it and look at the game, break it down a bit and decide what we can do better.

 

"The margins were pretty small in those Test matches, a couple of points here, a couple of points there. One decision here against you and suddenly you lose the game.

 

"We probably need to make sure we get through phases more, that is probably an area we can improve on," he said.

 

He added that they expect a serious test from a Wallabies side that has been in impressive form this year.

 

"Australia have shown that they have come a long way under Ewen McKenzie, they beat us the last time we played them. It is never easy playing against them and it is always a great game," he said.

 

A lot of the spotlight ahead of this test has focused on Teboho Mohoje who makes his first start, and De Villiers brushed off the suggestion that the flank does not deserve his place in the side.

 

"I think we are way past the days of judging guys by their colour, we as a team we respect each other and we believe we are the best players available and we treat each other like that.

 

"Whatever gets said in the media or gets written I don't actually care about that in a way. To me it is about the individual and the person and he is an unbelievable guy.

 

"He is a great rugby player, he deserves his spot in the starting line-up. He has played fantastically well for his franchise and has worked hard to get here," he said.

 

On a personal level, De Villiers reflected on the fact that it might be his final Test match at Newlands, where he has played all of his domestic rugby in South Africa.

 

"If I look to the future it is probably the last Test match that I will play at Newlands. I haven't seen the fixtures for next year yet but it is probably the last time I will be able to get the opportunity so I am looking forward to it," he said.