Execution key as Boks prepare for second Test

Springbok lock Ruan Nortje and utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu agreed on Wednesday that accurate execution was vital as they prepare to face the Wallabies at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town in their second Castle Lager Rugby Championship match on Saturday, as they look to bounce back from their disappointing result last week.

Nortje singled out better efficiency in the line-outs and being as physical as possible as the key areas for the forwards, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu said they cannot make the same mistakes as last week and break away from their structure.

“All credit to Australia for how they handled the line-outs last week,” said Nortje.

“It’s not just the players who were on the field. All the locks sat together and made plans from the Sunday before the match, so we need to ensure that we are more effective in that department this weekend.

“We know we are much better than what we showed in Johannesburg, so it will be vital for us to stick to our plans this week and to go out there and be as physical as possible.”

Commenting on last week’s result, Feinberg-Mngomezulu said: “There were system errors from our side, which led to what happened on the day. But we saw what happens when we drift away from our structures and we’ve been working hard to rectify things this week, so we’ll go out there and give the best we can on Saturday.”

Nortje relished the opportunity of partnering up with RG Snyman for the first time in the starting lineup and said being around the calibre of locks in the team was an honour for him.

“This is the first time I’ll be starting a game next to RG and I’m excited about the opportunity,” said Nortje.

“He was also at the Vodacom Bulls a few years ago and I always wanted us to play together, so the key for us this week will be to do our utmost to work well together.”

Speaking about the depth at lock in the squad, Nortje said: “It’s special for me to be part of this group of locks. Many of them have been my heroes since I started playing junior rugby, so I try to learn with each opportunity I get to play and train with them because it’s important to grab every chance one gets with both hands.”

When quizzed about the opportunity of facing Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor, should he be selected for the match, Feinberg-Mngomezulu said: “He had a solid game last week and he managed to get on top of us but we did a lot of analysis this week and tried to find solutions, so hopefully we can execute our game plan better this weekend.”

The Springboks wrapped up their main training block for the week on Wednesday afternoon and will have Thursday off to rest and switch into match mode before their traditional captain’s run on Friday.

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

Springbok starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 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.

South Africa v Australia at 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)