Willemse reveals how Boks stayed 'fresh' to peak during RGR series
INTERVIEW: Damian Willemse revealed how the Boks stayed fresh to peak at the right time during the Greatest Rivalry series following their trophy-clinching win in Baltimore.
There were valid concerns regarding the Boks’ cohesiveness after losing the first RGR Test to the All Blacks at 10Bet Ellis Park, as they failed to convert several opportunities and ultimately went down 16-33 to New Zealand.
The Boks’ 22-metre conversion rate during the first Test
The lingering question was whether it was a good idea from the Bok coaching staff to make wholesale personnel changes throughout the Nations Championship, in which South Africa defeated England, Wales and Scotland, whilst New Zealand stuck to the majority of their players from the start of the season heading into the first RGR Test.
*Also read: ‘It’s all about the scoreboard’: Rassie downplays Boks’ superiority over All Blacks
But the gamble paid off, and it was part of the long-term plan to ensure the Boks hit their straps at the right time during the RGR series, according to Willemse.
“We rotated throughout the Nations Championship where we did a lot of variations in our plays and rotational switches with players to keep us fresh,” Willemse said.
“The coaches made that point clear as they wanted us to peak in games three and four, as that’s where the series was decided.
“We did that well, and the guys understand the system. This is our 100th Test together as a team [under Rassie Erasmus].
“So we understand our bodies, what it takes to peak at the end of a series or a World Cup and how to lock yourself in, in terms of recovery, your sleep, nutrition and all those other things.
“It’s the one percenters that add up in days and weeks like this.”
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Willemse also added how the group has grown throughout the series.
“After the first Test and taking that loss, there were certain areas of our game that we had to work on, and we probably didn’t focus that much on.
“That allowed us as a group to look internally, help each other and tighten our game and just lock in – credit to the coaching staff for coming up with plans and solutions.
“That gave us belief after that first Test, and it’s massive; for a lot of the guys this is their first big series.
“We made a lot of changes during the Nations Championship but still grew as a team.
“We’ll take a lot of positives and confidence from this, and we’ll just keep on building.”
Willemse touched on his experience of playing three out of the four games in the series against Dave Rennie’s All Blacks and hailed the Boks’ mental fortitude to strike when it mattered most.
“We knew it would be a tough series. The game in Cape Town reflected that, and the one in Soweto was also really close.
“Tonight we probably ran away with it a little bit, but only towards the end around the 65th or 70th minute.
“At halftime there were just three points in it, and it stayed like that up until the 60th minute, until we scored.
“From the start of the series to where we are now, we’ve built our game and got better, and that’s the thing we’re mostly proud of.
“How we want to win, and win well according to our standards we set out to do. We didn’t hit our straps in the first Test.
“We were sloppy despite our scrum functioning really well, and we had momentum and opportunities we didn’t finish, but as the series progressed we got better.”
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