The Springboks don’t need redemption against the All Blacks in Cape Town as much as they need accuracy, intelligence and control, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that South Africa must acknowledge why they lost 33-16 at Ellis Park rather than dismiss the scoreline as unrepresentative of the contest.
The Boks enjoyed physical superiority for long periods, but the All Blacks absorbed the pressure, defended with purpose and ruthlessly punished their mistakes.
“There is a difference between physical superiority and Test-match superiority. The Boks had the former and the All Blacks the latter,” Keohane writes.
He points to the Boks scoring just one try from 11 entries into the All Blacks’ 22, while New Zealand forced 14 turnovers and finished with five tries. After admitting he got his planning and substitutions wrong at Ellis Park, Rassie Erasmus has responded by adding experience and control for the second Test.
Handré Pollard and Cobus Reinach form the halfback combination, while Siya Kolisi is expected to return as captain. Keohane believes Pollard is the right choice for an occasion where scoreboard pressure and goalkicking accuracy could prove decisive.
“Pollard’s selection is the correct one for the occasion and it is not one made because of the merits of Manie Libbok or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu,” he writes.
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The breakdown will also be crucial after the All Blacks disrupted the Boks’ possession at Ellis Park, while a reshaped bench featuring Deon Fourie, Lood de Jager, Thomas du Toit, Cameron Hanekom and Feinberg-Mngomezulu gives Erasmus different options to finish the match.
After the All Blacks exposed the cost of poor execution in Johannesburg, Keohane says the margin in Cape Town matters far less than the result.
“I am backing a Boks response, ideally by 10 points, but in this country one point more will be just fine.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The post Boks must regain control appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Springboks don’t need redemption against the All Blacks in Cape Town as much as they need accuracy, intelligence and control, writes MARK KEOHANE.
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