Boks have a long way to go
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers is hoping to see his team take a big step up when they face the under-fire Wallabies in Perth on Saturday.
The veteran midfielder said that his team have been hard at work since their disappointing draw with Argentina in Mendoza, and called for his charges to deliver when the pressure is on this weekend.
"Preparation-wise I think we are happy with where we are at. We weren't happy with our performance against Argentina so we had a lot to work on.
"It is about implementing that for 80 minutes in the game and at the end of the day that is all that counts," he said.
De Villiers said that although the Wallabies were comprehensively beaten in consecutive matches against the All Blacks, they will provide a fierce test on Saturday as they look to build on their impressive recent record against the Boks.
"They [Wallabies] were up against a quality side in New Zealand, they are the number one ranked team in the world and World Cup winners so I don't think you must read too much into the result.
"I think Australia showed a lot of positives as well in those two games and they will always be a quality side. of the last seven times we have met we have only beaten them once so that says a bit as well," he said.
The experienced centre knows that the Bok backline will be in for a serious test up against the creative Wallaby backs, and said that their relatively new combination will have to show far greater cohesion if they are to impose themselves on the hosts.
"They are a very skilled team, I think as a backline player playing against them is difficult. They have got a lot of skill running-wise on attack and defensively they are always solid so this time around will be no different.
"We have worked on the cohesion of the backline, and the reality is that it is our sixth game together so we are still building on that.
"We are definitely looking to build on what we have achieved in our first couple of games but we have got a long way to go to get to where we want to be," he said.
The Bok skipper admitted that his team's lack of experience is currently their biggest obstacle, but pointed out that it also represents an opportunity to lay some good groundwork for the future.
"It makes a big difference when you have inexperience within the squad but I think that the guys that have come in have really done well, they have taken their opportunities and once you start building a new team it is an opportunity to put up your hand and stake a claim for a position in the team to stay there for a long time," he said.
