PDV: 'Boks need to finish off Aussies'
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:27
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has hinted that the Boks will be looking to make better use of their opportunities by drastically improving their finishing when they face Australia in a Tri-Nations match in Durban on Saturday.
The Springboks have once again been grilled in the press on a variety of angles following their 0-19 Tri-Nations reverse to New Zealand on Saturday, ranging from De Villiers' comments about referee Matt Goddard, to the Boks' expansive gameplan that is seemingly not taking shape.
The Bok coach revealed his thoughts in his column on sarugby.co.za, and reiterated the need for the Boks to take the chances that come their way on Saturday against the Aussies.
"I thought that although we made many unforced errors, the scoreboard was not a true reflection of the match," De Villiers said of the Newlands loss.
"We created many chances but were unfortunately let down by our finishing."
The coach did not dwell too long over the loss though and pointed out that the team still had took some positives from the match.
"I would rather want to refer to two aspects of our game which I thought went extremely well. Andries Bekker had a good match and he is a big lad with a big heart and a good future ahead of him if he continues with the sort of improvement he has been showing since June.
"It is never easy to lose a player of Bakkies Botha's caliber, but we are very fortunate to be able to call on a player like Andries.
"I also thought that our scrums went particularly well and it is one of the areas that we will look at to keep on improving. The tight five really played their part and we are looking forward to another good performance in this department against the Wallabies."
The coach stressed that he, his management team and the players were all desperate to put things right against the Australians on Saturday.
The Boks are staring a third consecutive Tri-Nations defeat in the face, but De Villiers remained defiant and positive in his outlook.
"Victor Matfield and I attended a media conference this week and we were asked whether we are now more under pressure to win against the Wallabies in the wake of the loss against New Zealand.
"We responded by saying that every Test match is a serious affair and that we are used to the pressures of each test, especially when we play home in South Africa," stated the coach.
"The players and management had a hard and honest discussion after the New Zealand match and we know how much a victory would mean for the supporters. We are determined to build on the good we achieved this year and eager to eliminate the mistakes we made," he wrote.
De Villiers praised all Springbok supporters, and urged them not to underestimate their contribution to the team morale.
"I want to assure all the supporters that we value all their encouragements and messages of support," confirmed the coach.
"Our players are all passionate and proud of their responsibilities as Springboks and I hope that the Test in Durban will deliver another good contest and also a much better performance than last week."
