Bonus point-chasing Boks not ready to park the box kick
VIDEO: With bonus points at a premium for the remainder of the Rugby Championships, the Springboks are almost sure to be more ‘expansive’ than they have been in the first four rounds.
However, they are not about to discard their kicking game entirely.
The Southern Hemisphere championship is delicately poised, with all four teams having won two and lost two matches – New Zealand (10 points) leading South Africa, Australia and Argentina (all on nine points).
It is a solitary bonus point that separates the leaders from the chasing pack.
That could also be the difference between being crowned champions and becoming also-rans at the end of the month.
Seasoned scrumhalf Francois de Klerk admitted that chasing bonus points are high on the team’s list of priorities in their remaining outings against Los Pumas – in Buenos Aires this coming Saturday and Durban a week later.
However, needing to score three tries or more than the opposition does not mean they won’t be looking to their most-used tactic – the much-maligned box kick.
“It’s definitely not parked,” De Klerk told a virtual media briefing from the team’s training base in Buenos Aires.
“We’re just trying to make our game a bit more unpredictable,” he added.
De Klerk, 30 and capped 40 times since his debut in 2016, said their tactics would depend on the flow of the game.
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“As we did against Australia, when we really controlled territory, when we get into the right areas on the field, we have the freedom to play a bit more.
“That [getting into the right areas] will also be very important this weekend.
“The more we stay out of our half, the more we will get penalty advantages and that gives us the freedom to play more and try different things.
“It also depends on what we see on the field and what the No.9, the No.10 and No.15 decide are the best options – should we run or should we kick?
“It all depends on the situation.”
De Klerk admitted that getting a full house of five points in their last two outings is something that was addressed by the team.
“Bonus points are what it is all about in the last two matches and we are ‘forced’ to chase them,” the Bok No.9 said.
“The way we want to play this weekend will enable us to do that”.
“If everything goes according to plan we will get the two bonus point [wins] that will put us in a good position in the tournament.
“However, we first have to focus on this coming weekend and then we can see what we have to do the next week in Durban”.”
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