Boks' unfinished All Black business
The Springboks may not be able to win the Rugby Championship, but their clash with the All Blacks at Ellis Park is still their most important this year.
Having been denied in Wellington a few weeks ago, Heyneke Meyer's side have another crack at the All Blacks at the same venue as their classic encounter last year.
Meyer has not yet tasted victory over the All Blacks, and Springbok captain Jean de Villiers acknowledged how important it is for his side to cross that mental barrier ahead of the World Cup next year.
"It is important for us to put up a good display against them next week, we came close in Wellington and we just didn't get there so it will be important for our group and we are quietly confident but it will be a massive challenge," he said.
De Villiers said that the plan had always been to wear the Wallabies down by holding on to the ball, and added that their dominant finish was just reward for hard work and patience.
"You never plan to leave it that late, but we always said that if we stick to our structures in the first 60 to 70 minutes we believe that we can break them down in the last 10.
"Once we got that bit of momentum and the crowd got behind us we were just unstoppable at stages, it was probably one of the best 10 minutes I have ever been involved in.
"From the kick-off we were able to hold the ball for what must be close to 20 phases, you might not get the sort of result then but at the end of the game you get the points. So it is being able to throughout the game, break teams down and then in the last 10 minutes you can hopefully get the reward," he said.
Although the majority of the match had been frustrating as they battled to break the Wallabies defence down, De Villiers was happy with the attitude his side showed to close the game out which will be vital if they are to get the better of the All Blacks next week.
"The way the guys stuck together in the last 10 minutes and showed intent and that we can play, that to me was special.
"We will try and rectify our mistakes and then see how we can move forward and improve, so now we need to improve for next week's game.
"You will have disappointments along the way, and I think it is just about the way that you respond to it, and if you do that in a positive way then you are on the right track.
"Part of our process is to improve, if we play the way we played tonight next week then we will have a good shot at beating them," he said.
Last year at Ellis Park the Boks needed a bonus point victory to win the Rugby Championship, this time around there is no such pressure although it could be their last chance to beat the All Blacks with both teams at full strength before the World Cup.
Whilst their performance against the Wallabies was not perfect, there is no doubt they will take valuable momentum from the way they finished, so this looks like their best opportunity yet to topple the All Blacks.
By Michael de Vries
