Boks: 'United we stand, divided we fall'
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:29
The bitter taste of defeat: Bok captain Victor Matfield
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and stand-in captain Victor Matfield have put up a united front in the face of fierce criticism of the South African team's sub-standard performances in the Tri-Nations this year.
Addressing a media gathering at their Johannesburg base, two days ahead of facing Australia in their last Tri-Nations Test of the season, both De Villiers and Matfield said they are convinced the Boks will bounce back on Saturday.
De Villiers, in particular, has come under fire for the 'expansive' game plan that has produced a fortuitous last-minute win against the All Blacks in Dunedin and four defeats in their five starts.
The last two weeks had been particularly bad - a 0-19 whitewash against New Zealand in Cape Town and an equally pitiful 15-27 loss to Australia in Durban last week.
But De Villiers not only resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes to his team, he made it clear that they are united in their drive to change the way the Boks play.
"We decided to stand together as a group, and we hope and pray the breakthrough is there on Saturday," De Villiers told a media gathering at the team announcement.
He admitted that he was tempted to make many more than just the two enforced changes - Brian Mujati for suspended prop CJ van der Linde and Odwa Ndungane for injured JP Pietersen on the wing.
"Emotion took over," the Bok coach said about the aftermath of last week's loss in Durban.
However, after a review of the video recording of that defeat he thought that the Boks' performance was not that bad.
"We controlled the scrums [last week]," he said.
"Yes, our line-outs were not that good, but that's one area where we are always good at. We just had an off day [in Durban] and I believe it won't be like that this week."
He also said the Boks are very close to mastering the new game plan, which "empowers" the players to make decision on the field, rather than sticking to a rigid, structured game plan.
"Every time we carried the ball and we kept it for two or three phases, we made 60 metres. We breached their [defensive] line more than the All Blacks and the Wallabies together could do against us," he said, adding: "That's the kind of improvements we talk about."
He was also full of praise for Matfield, who is standing in as captain for the injured John Smit.
He made it clear that he backs the big lock "all the way" and praised him for what he has already done for the team.
Matfield also made mention of "team unity" as a key on Saturday, saying pride and need to rectify the wrongs of the last few weeks will mean the players will "play for each other".
"The guys just needs to keep believing in what we want to do, then things will fall in place," he said about the Bok coach's much-maligned game plan, adding: "But first you need to go out and do the hard work and that's our aim at the weekend, go out and do the hard work and the rest will follow."
Matfield dismissed the notion that Saturday's Test is a 'dead rubber', because Australia and New Zealand will do battle in the tournament decider in Brisbane a fortnight from now, while the Boks have already been consigned to last lace on the standings.
"In every Test you want to deliver your best, while the players know they have let themselves, their teammates, the coaching staff and the fans down. They want to set the record straight and this is our last chance.
"We've again worked hard on the breakdowns and spent lots of time on decision-making," he said.
