Boks set sights on bouncing back in Nations Championship

Springbok flanker Paul de Villiers, who earned his fifth Test cap in Perth last Sunday, was visibly disappointed following the 42-38 defeat against the Wallabies but said it inspired the team even more to come back fighting when the Nations Championship resumes in November.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to his starting lineup for the match after their 3-1 series victory in the gruelling Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand, as he looks to build depth and experience in his squad with an eye on the Rugby World Cup next year in Australia.

While the defeat against the Wallabies was a bitter pill to swallow, De Villiers said the Boks had taken valuable lessons from the match.

“We always learn, and of course we like to learn while winning but sometimes you learn more by losing,” said De Villiers, a former Junior Springbok captain.

“We’re not done. There are still a couple of games coming up in November and for the Nations Championship we’re going to go all in and make sure we do everything we can to win that trophy. We’re committed to that.”

Reflecting on the match against the Wallabies, De Villiers said: “We’re never happy losing in a Springbok jersey. I thought they put us in scenarios where we conceded a lot of penalties, especially in the first half, and we got into a situation where we had to chase the game.

“That said, we’re obviously proud of the fight in the last couple of minutes. We really worked together to try to win the match.

“Don’t get me wrong, they were good on the day. But if you look at some of the stages we got to, we made a lot of errors and that kind of shows perhaps why we lost the game.”

Similarly to Erasmus and the rest of his teammates, De Villiers said the experience of playing in Australia and getting a taste of the conditions and the environment was a good experience for the team as they look forward to next year’s RWC.

“It was nice for us to be in Perth and Terrigal,” said the hard-working flanker.

“A couple of us were in Australia for the first time. We are coming back next year, so it was a valuable outing.

“Getting to experience the place, the people, the stadium, and playing here was extremely valuable going into the World Cup next year.”

The Boks will reassemble at the end of October to begin their preparations for the next leg of the Nations Championship, where they will line up against, Italy, France, and Ireland before the Finals Weekend in London.

Meanwhile, the Nations Championship Hemisphere Shield has been unveiled above the London skyline on the London Eye, overlooking one of the world’s greatest sporting capital cities, and the stage for the inaugural Finals Weekend where teams will battle to decide the dominant force in global rugby and balance of power between Hemispheres.

The Hemisphere Shield will be claimed by the Hemisphere group that earns the most number of points during the Finals Weekend, settling one of the fiercest debates in the sport: which hemisphere is truly the most dominant.

After three explosive Nations Championship rounds in July for the Southern Series, the contest between North and South is deadlocked at nine wins a piece. The competition heads into the remaining three rounds – the Northern Series that will ultimately determine the matchups for the Finals Weekend in November - with everything on the line.

The Hemisphere Shield stands alongside the Nations Championship trophy as one of the competition's two defining prizes, reflecting the two battles taking place every time teams take the field.

Each nation is fighting to become the outright Nations Championship winner, while every Finals Weekend result at Allianz Stadium, London, simultaneously contributes to the larger contest determining whether North or South reign supreme.

Hemisphere’s really will collide on Finals weekend, when for the first time, the traditional rivalry between North and South has been given a structure, a scoreline and a worthy prize.

The Hemisphere Shield will be decided by six blockbuster north versus south matches. Seven points will be available across the weekend, with one point awarded for the winners of matches 2 v 2 through to 6 v 6 and two points on offer for the 1 v 1 showdown. The first hemisphere to reach four points will secure the Hemisphere Shield.

Brendan Morris, SANZAAR CEO, said: “For the players, representing your country will always carry enormous pride, but the Nations Championship adds another dimension. Every time a Southern Hemisphere nation takes the field against the North, they are contributing to a collective battle alongside their traditional rivals. That is a powerful idea and the Hemisphere Shield gives that achievement a symbol built to last.

“Make no mistake about it the Southern teams will have the full support of SANZAAR and rugby fans in the south, and the teams will be primed and ready to go for November. We want the silverware heading south.”

Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, said: “The Nations Championship is a major pillar of the international rugby calendar, taking the sport to fans all over the world and carrying the power to rival the biggest events in global sport and entertainment, redefining the future of rugby in the process.

“Every fixture matters to every team in the Nations Championship, with two trophies and titles on the line and ready to be won at the Finals Weekend. For fans, three days of back-to-back fixtures featuring the 12 best teams packed with the best players in rugby and unprecedented access to tickets, guarantees an incredible experience that will turn London into the ultimate closing party of international rugby this year.”

There are still tickets remaining for Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, London. Fans are encouraged to get their tickets to have the chance to see either the North or South lift the Hemisphere Shield.