Boks need more support
Springbok openside flank Marcell Coetzee believes that his team's issues at the breakdown can be solved by providing better support for the ball-carrier.
Despite dominating the set-pieces and enjoying plenty of possession in opposition territory the Boks were unable to score four tries against the Pumas who managed to disrupt them far too often at the breakdown at Newlands last week.
Although they created a number of opportunities to land the killer blow which would have secured the vital bonus point, the Boks were ultimately left frustrated as the ball was turned over on numerous occasions by the Pumas who committed more numbers on the ground.
Coetzee admitted that the Boks had been impressed with the Pumas' physicality at the breakdown, and added that his team will have to change their approach in this area ahead of the return clash in Mendoza this weekend.
He told this website: "They are very physical and they really give it to you at the breakdown. They were very disruptive at times as they showed in that second half when they really showed some heart and determination.
"The thing about rugby is that you can always rectify what you have done the previous weekend so we will take it from here and build on that. There are a lot of areas where we left ourselves hanging but we will work on those aspects of the game," said Coetzee.
The dynamic young loose forward said that the biggest issue for the Boks was that they failed to support their ball-carriers adequately, and explained that the key this weekend will be to ensure that they are not isolated as easily.
"We left a lot of our one-on-one runners there and they secured the ball so we will work on the breakdown area for this weekend. We have to improve on that and we will feel each other out and continue from there.
"I think we have to help our one-on-one runners, there were too many times when they were isolated so we will definitely have to work on running with a supporter and supporting the ball-carrier immediately so we can beat our opponents to that," he said.
Coetzee said that following their initial introduction to the intense environment of the Rugby Championship, he expects the Pumas to come hard at the Boks in their first home game this weekend.
"I think they had a lot of pressure on them to perform and I don't think they knew what to expect, but they know now that this is another competition and another intensity so I think as the competition progresses they will improve as a team.
"They did the job against France, so we will expect a different team, they are known for their physicality so we have to just stay humble and analyse what our mistakes were and build on that," he said.
By Michael de Vries
