Boks to use 'slow poison' on All Blacks
Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:19
Victor Matfield to apply some 'slow poison'. (c) Gallo
South Africa hope to find a counter for New Zealand's all-out pace attack by 'slowing down' the game in Saturday's historic Test in Soweto.
Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield told a media gathering on Tuesday that the line-outs were one area the Boks would target in this Tri-Nations encounter.
The Boks have not scored a single point - with defeats of 12-31, 17-31 (to the All Blacks) and 13-30 (versus Australia) - with the Kiwis requiring just a solitary point to rip the Tri-Nations trophy from South Africa's grasp.
Matfield said the All Blacks have been "jumping the gun" at line-outs - with quick throw-ins having negated the Boks' one major strength.
Now the 98-Test veteran believes they need to ensure the Kiwis are forced to form proper line-outs and then put pressure on the All Blacks.
"It's one area where we would like to put them under pressure," Matfield told a media gathering at the team's base in Johannesburg.
"If we can just get them to form the line-out and don't throw it quickly in," he added.
"Firstly it's our aim to stop them throwing it in without us getting there.
"If we can get that hopefully we can put some pressure on their line-out."
The line-out is just one area where the Springboks are determined to improve, following their disastrous start to the Tri-Nations.
Matfield admitted there was "plenty" of room for improvement all over the park.
"There are quite a few things we need to be better at, but I don't want to go into those details," he said.
"I think we know we weren't as good as we should have been overseas, we were maybe 10-15 percent off our game and we need to fix everything. Everything needs to be better and then we'll stand a chance."
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