Nienaber on why the Boks lost
REACTION: Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber said his team’s poor discipline was the main reason why they lost to the Wallabies on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
Quade Cooper was the hero after he slotted a penalty after the full-time hooter sounded to give the Wallabies a narrow 28-26 win in their Rugby Championship Round Three encounter.
The 33-year-old playmaker, who was playing his first Test in four years, scored 23 of his team’s points as the Aussies took full advantage of the Boks’ poor discipline.
The Boks conceded 11 penalties in the match with Cooper converting seven of those into points. He also had one conversion.
“We scored three tries to one and we gave them 23 points off the tee and that is the reason why we lost,” Nienaber told reporters after the match.
“I thought we made a couple of errors. I thought the first 20 minutes we were quite dominant, and we probably had control of the game, but then in the last 20 we lost control and they got a bit of a lead on us.
“I thought we did brilliantly to get back into the game and we lost it in the 82nd minute. And again it was discipline – we lost it because we conceded a penalty.
“They played well and they deserved to win.”
Things to fix
Nienaber said his team’s execution on attack was poor as well.
“I don’t think we were great today [Sunday] and when I say that I don’t want to take anything away from Australia,” the Bok coach added.
“I just thought we were a little bit off our game and especially from a discipline point of view. We created opportunities. Sbu [Sibusiso Nkosi] was over the tryline and I thought Lukhanyo [Am] was over for a try.
“We scored three tries. There were opportunities for us to maybe get two more tries and we didn’t finish. I don’t think it was a polished performance, so we will have to fix those things.”
The Boks also threw away 10 points through missed kicks. Handre Pollard missed two penalties and a conversion, while Damian Willemse could not convert his team’s final try.
“I don’t think a kicker goes out to miss a kick and in fairness, Handre was quite good in the warm-up,” said Nienaber.
“He was solid. Another day it goes a foot left and it is over. Even the long-distance one he missed in the first half.
“But it is ifs and buts. It is what it is.”
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— Wallabies (@wallabies) September 12, 2021
