Ben-Jason Dixon says he was “sad about the call” to yellow-card him during the Springboks’ 42-28 win against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports.
The replacement lock conceded he “could have been better” in a match South Africa nearly let slip.
“I got on for eight minutes in the first half and it was like I was blowing,“ he said. “I got subbed twice. So it’s not the greatest.”
He returned early in the second half, only to be sin-binned soon after for direct head contact at a ruck, leaving South Africa down to 14 men.
ALSO: Rassie’s glorious gamble pays off
“I was very frustrated,” Dixon said of the card. “I was sad about the call. I could have been better, but I also felt like maybe on another day it might have been a penalty only.”
Despite the setback, Dixon said the Springboks used the period a man down to seize back control of the contest.
“We did really, really well to turn the momentum of the game and get their tempo again,” he said. “When I got back on, we had a bit of momentum and managed to convert it, and we got ahead on the scoreboard, which was great.
MORE: Rassie defends experimental Boks
“I felt like we could really close it down there, but unfortunately we let them back in.
“They were really exceptional, great ball carries, and they made the best of those breaks to really make us pay for a bit of slackness in our defence.”
On his own form, Dixon pointed to growing confidence and improving conditioning after a taxing block of Test rugby.
“Last week I was blowing properly,” he said. “This week I felt slightly better.”
KEO: Five Boks make a statement
He credited teammates for easing his transition into the international set-up.
“Once confidence grows a little bit every time you get another cap, the guys around you help a lot with that. But the experience is invaluable; it’s another level.”
Dixon’s comments point to a Springbok side still searching for control in high-pressure passages of play, with individual discipline and fitness in the ferocious pack emerging as an issue coach Rassie Erasmus is likely to address before facing Wales.
PLUS: Handré hails Bok character after Scotland scare
South Africa held on for the win, but Dixon’s frank admission of fatigue and frustration underlines the physical toll of facing Scotland at altitude, and the fine margins that could have cost the world’s top-ranked side the match.
Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images
The post BJ: I could have been better appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ben-Jason Dixon says he was “sad about the call” to yellow-card him during the Springboks’ 42-28 win against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld.
The post BJ: I could have been better appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
