Wales prepared to go to 'dark places' says Bok assistant
SPOTLIGHT: Saturday’s series decider against Wales in Cape Town will be a real test of character for Jacques Nienaber’s Springbok team.
After a narrow 32-29 win in the first Test in Pretoria, the Boks went on to lose the second Test 12-13 in Bloemfontein after Nienaber made a whopping 14 changes to his starting team.
The current three-Test series is just the latest instalment in a tightly contested rivalry between the two sides. Most of their meetings in the last decade have been decided by single-score margins.
Wales went the extra mile to match the Springboks’ physicality in past games and Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids knows that his team will have to put in an 80-minute effort to win the series on Saturday.
“They [Wales] are one of those teams that are prepared to go to dark places and challenge you there,” Davids told reporters at his team’s base in Hermanus.
“If you just look at the intent of the tackles they made in the last Test match and how they gave massive competition in terms of stopping mauls and getting stuck into the scrums, it’s a testament to their ability to get stuck in.
“We’ve said from the start that we will have to impose ourselves on them for 80 minutes.
“If you are not disciplined against a team like Wales, you will give them an opportunity to gain territorial advantage and that will put them in a better position.
“That is areas that we can improve on. When you get opportunities, you have to make sure that you take those opportunities otherwise it will get difficult the longer the game goes on.”
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๐https://t.co/PtJMx7bAhf pic.twitter.com/Nms4p5puzFโ rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 11, 2022
It’s getting tough
The Springboks, who dropped down to third in World Rugby’s rankings, were not the only Southern Hemisphere team in a spot of bother last weekend.
Ireland and England recorded wins over New Zealand and Australia respectively, while Scotland beat Argentina in Salta.
With it being 1-1 across the board, it means there will be four massive deciders this coming Saturday.
Davids believes it is becoming harder to predict matches between the top nations in the world.
“Teams get better every year,” Davids explained.
“They get better in terms of their game plans; they get better in terms of adapting to different situations and different playing styles.
“You could also see it in terms of the URC competition – how teams have quickly adapted over a period of time and I feel that the gap between the different international teams is getting closer.
“Every game now, you canโt say which side it will go in terms of the quality that you see every week.”
Davids believes it will only get more competitive as the 2023 World Cup draws nearer.
“It is going to be more challenging as we build up towards the World Cup because teams are seeking answers.
“They want to find the perfect squad and they want to settle in terms of their game plan.
The players use these games to get to that specific point so that they can feel comfortable in terms of their execution and what they want to achieve.
“I just think it is close amongst the best teams in the world.”
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#RANKINGS: It is the first time since the rankings were introduced in October 2003 that Northern Hemisphere teams have occupied the top two spots. ๐#SouthAfrica #Springboks #France #Ireland #NewZealand #AllBlacks https://t.co/YqSnH74zvU
โ rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 11, 2022
