Boks waiting on injured stars
Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:35
Doubtful starter: Springbok prop Jannie du Plessis
The Springboks are sweating on the fitness of three players, as they start preparations for their final Tri-Nations match of the year.
Coach Peter de Villiers confirmed on Monday that replacement flyhalf Butch James, prop Jannie du Plessis and lock Flip van der Merwe were all injured in the 44-31 win over Australia in Pretoria at the weekend.
James injured his shoulder, Du Plessis his shin and Van der Merwe has a neck problem.
The trio underwent scans in Bloemfontein on Monday.
All three missed out on the Monday training session and news on their condition is expected from the medical team later on Monday.
It has also been confirmed that Western Province flyer Gio Aplon, as well as the Blue Bulls duo of Dewald Potgieter and Wynand Olivier have joined up with the Boks in Bloemfontein.
* Meanwhile the Bok coach, De Villiers, said there remains room for improvement following last Saturday's come-from-behind win over Australia.
De Villiers was addressing media in Bloemfontein ahead of the Boks' final Tri-Nations match, also against the Wallabies, on Saturday.
"We have yet to achieve anything," de Villiers said.
"It was nice to get the win because it changed the mood in the change room and also put smiles on the faces of our fans again. But we still have a lot of work to do," he said.
The coach singled out defensive organization as one of the areas that needed attention during the week.
"We have a brilliant defensive system in place," he said.
"When we analyse defensive lapses we have to look further than missed tackles or mistakes that are made by individuals. We have to look at what events in the play led to that situation. It could be that the opposition was quicker on attack than we anticipated or a that player was out of line in the defensive pattern.
"The Wallabies put us under pressure and forced us into mistakes. We have to go back and look at what we can do to better deal with that pressure".
De Villiers added that the players attitude would also be an important factor in this weekend's Test.
"The win has changed the mood in the camp and the guys need to build on this from a mental and physical point of view. This is where a positive attitude towards the match will be very important. The Wallabies are world class and we will have to have the right attitude to beat them again, especially on attack".
De Villiers praised his team for their spirited fightback in the Loftus Test.
"To come back from 7-21 down showed the character of this team. I am pleased that we did not go into defensive mode towards the end of the match and showed a willingness to attack until the end," de Villiers said.
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