Bob Skinstad believes the Springboks’ defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park could prove to be merely a bump in the road to a hat-trick of World Cup titles.
The Boks surrendered their 12-match winning streak and No 1 ranking with a 33-16 defeat last Saturday, leaving them needing to win the remaining three Tests to claim the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
But Skinstad, the former No 8 who captained the Boks during his 42-Test career, sees no reason to panic about the setback or the age profile of Rassie Erasmus’ squad.
“We have senior players who’ve been in this team a long time,’ he told Planet Rugby. “We’ve also got three starting lineups that we could put out going forward for the next 18 months at least.
“So we’re in a good position. People think a bump in the road or a step backwards is something that stops your momentum. I think it galvanises you to get better in the areas where you dropped.
“I’m not an extremist or an absolutist like that. We’ve seen South Africa lose 57-0 in New Zealand and come back and be ready to win a World Cup a year later.
“For me, rugby turns on a ticky. It’s about the long-term planning that you keep in place during the hard times. It’s not what you do because of the storm, it’s what you do in the storm.”
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Skinstad was nevertheless critical of the Boks’ performance in the series opener.
“South Africa played the wrong game plan last week, New Zealand played the right one.
“I’m not going to pull any punches here. I do think there were some questionable decisions, and not only by the Springboks in what they did when they had the ball.
“I mean, four scrums in a row, then giving away a penalty and all of your advantage and not gaining a yellow card, while you yourself pick up two. That was not smart rugby.
“We’re now up s**t creek without a paddle. We’ve got to go and win two in a row just to be in with a chance to win this thing.”
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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The post Skinstad: Loss will galvanise Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Bob Skinstad believes the Springboks’ defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park could prove to be merely a bump in the road to a hat-trick of World Cup titles.
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