Die-hard supporters motivate Boks to bounce back in Cape Town

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Jesse Kriel were adamant on Friday that the team had to bounce back strongly after their disappointing performance against the Wallabies last week, when the sides cross paths for the second time in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.

Stick said they are expecting a massive onslaught from the visitors and described the feeling in the camp early this week as being at a funeral after going down 38-22 against the Wallabies in Johannesburg. He added that the disappointment among Bok fans really struck a chord about what rugby means to South Africa and its people.

“The Wallabies have world-class players and they did well to capitalise on some of our errors last week,” said Stick.

“This is the standard in the Rugby Championship, so it’s important for us to go back and make it right this weekend. This team knows how to learn through tough times.

“It felt like a funeral after the last match and we know how disappointed our supporters were.”

Kriel shared the Bok coach’s sentiments and said: “We know what we got wrong last weekend and we’ve worked hard to rectify that and align on what we want to achieve going into this game.

“We’ve been here before and it’s important for us not to forget that we’ve lost one match up to now. The great thing about rugby is that we have a chance to fix things again this weekend, and everyone is itching to get back on the field.

“Although there is pressure, we are used to it because there is pressure every week at this level.”

Both Stick and Kriel expected to face a charged-up Australian outfit, with the coach saying: “They have quick, quality players and we learned a lot last week about what it requires to be the best in the world, so it’s vital that we don’t make silly errors again this weekend.

“We also created several opportunities that we didn’t use and if you don’t take them against a team like Australia, they’ll punish you on the day. So hopefully this weekend we can put together a solid 80-minute performance and the experienced players coming off the bench can also make a difference.”

Stick added: “The biggest work-on for us is undoubtedly our game management, especially if one looks at how we started last week’s match compared to how we finished it.”

They both had full faith in fullback Aphelele Fassi to fill Willie le Roux’s boots following the Springbok centurion’s withdrawal from the starting team on Friday morning as a result of a niggle picked up at training earlier in the week.

“I wouldn’t say the loss of Willie disrupted our plans because Aphelele has been in the system for a while and he played last weekend,” said Stick.

“So, although we’ve lost a very experienced player in Willie, we are confident Aphelele will do the job for us.”

Kriel also spoke highly of Fassi as a fullback and the role he plays in the team, saying: “Unfortunately, Willie picked up a niggle but he’s been working very closely with Aphelele, who is a very talented player, whom we believe in.

“Obviously, Willie would have liked to play again, especially with his family also here but Aphelele is a great player and we know what he can do.”

With the Springboks currently third in the world rankings, Stick acknowledged the significance of winning this match to avoid a further decline down the rankings.

“That’s always in the back of our minds, especially with the Rugby World Cup draw later this year, so every game will count and we desperately want to bounce back and keep making South Africa proud,” said Stick.

“Rugby is much bigger than a game in this country. It means a lot to the people what we do on the field, so that will always be a huge motivational factor for us.”

The match kicks off at 5.10pm and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok starting XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel (capt), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe; 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams; 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Marco van Staden; 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 RG Snyman; 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Wallaby starting XV: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Corey Toole; 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nic White; 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight (capt), 6 Tom Hooper; 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost; 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Tom Robertson. Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Andrew Kellaway.

South Africa v Australia - DHL Stadium, Cape Town @ 5.10pm

Referee: James Doleman (NZR)

Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (IRFU), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)

Television Match Official: Richard Kelly (NZR)

Split Screen/FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)