BlitzBoks learnt from mistakes

South Africa lost 5-12 to Australia in their final Pool B match, but the result did not stop the Blitzboks from topping the pool. Australia finished seventh overall for a re-match with South Africa. 

South Africa won the quarterfinal 22-5 to book a place in the semifinals against Great Britain.

Brown, said the earlier defeat was a nice wake-up call for the squad. 

"We must make sure that we prepare better mentally and come back fresh in the morning. The Aussies are a hard running team and tested our defences. 

"In the first match, they kept the ball away from us for long periods, so we had to change that in the second match."

Coach Neil Powell praised his team. 

"I am happy in the way we came back and play. In a knock-out match, anything is possible and Australia is a quality outfit, but we played well. Our forwards got a few crucial turnovers and we have the backs that can exploit that," said Powell.

Powell has a clear vision on what the team need to do to finish on the podium in Rio. 

"We need a solid defensive line and a solid defensive effort tomorrow [Thursday]. Great Britain is one of the form teams in the competition and we need to go back and plan for another war tomorrow," he added.