‘Desperate’ Springboks wary of Ireland repeat in a ‘different challenge’ against Australia
Mzwandile Stick believes that the Springboks need to be desperate to beat Australia in Perth.
The Springboks have taken learnings from their defeat to Ireland in the second July Test as they prepare to tackle Australia in the Rugby Championship.
That’s the word from Bok assistant Mzwandile Stick as the side looks to claim back-to-back wins in Australia and extend their winning streak Down Under to four – which would be their longest such run in the professional era.
Stick believes that South Africa have to produce a ‘desperate’ performance in Perth in order to get the win, which contributed to the coaching staff’s decision to make wholesale changes.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes to his starting XV from the side that hammered the Wallabies 33-7 in Brisbane and the tactic comes after a history of the Springboks failing to produce strong back-to-back performances.
Learning from past mistakes
After beating Ireland in the first Test match in July, Erasmus opted to name an unchanged team for the second game which ultimately led to defeat.
Similarly at the World Cup, the team remained the same following the quarter-final win over France for their semi-final against England and while they did manage to scrape a win over Steve Borthwick’s side it was not a convincing performance.
“We have an open policy with our players on how we operate and even before the tour here we explained our goals as the management team to the squad,” Stick explained ahead of the second Test.
“We do want to build that squad depth and had we selected the same team that defeated the Wallabies last week, it wouldn’t have guaranteed a win.
“That happened against Ireland in July, we selected the same 23 for the second Test and then we didn’t pitch up.”
Opportunity to impress
With Erasmus making so many changes to the matchday 23, several players will be get the opportunity to impress, with scrum-half Morne van den Berg earning his first start for the Boks and Stick is excited for the number nine and some of the older players in the team.
“I’m excited to see what these younger guys in action like a Morne van den Berg, we have seen what Lukhanyo Am can do, he has done the job for us before and won us a World Cup and for him to get another opportunity is exciting too,” he said.
“It’s not just the young guys that are getting opportunities, there are experienced heads like Thomas du Toit and Makazole Mapimpi who have all been pushing hard in training and regardless of the result, I know that they will be lifting their hands for further selection and making our job as coaches and selectors difficult, which is good.”
Zoning in on the task at hand this week, Stick said that the Boks will need to produce a desperate performance against a Wallabies team that will be eager to bounce back.
“We will have to improve to get that second win and it won’t be easy,” he said.
“It’s going to be a different challenge, particularly with the Wallabies selections with Nic White and Marika Koroibete coming back into the team.
“We have been there as a team when we were in that desperate position for the win and that’s key for us too as we have to pitch up with that desperate mindset.
“It is going to be tough and the team that physically and mentally pitches up stands a good chance of winning the game and Australia have got the players to do that.”
Springboks growth
With an eye to the 2027 Rugby World Cup and beyond, Erasmus and his coaching team have made no secret of the fact that new players need to be blooded into the squad.
“Our biggest goal is to win games and we don’t take our position for granted but the more we win the more opportunity we have to transform the team,” Stick added.
“We don’t just focus on winning because we need to build the squad depth. We took 33 players on tour and they have all worked extremely hard for their opportunity and we have to reward that.
“As coaches, we trust all the players here and we are thrilled to see them get a chance to prove themselves.
“We believe in these guys to lift their hands and to give the coaches the answers they are looking for before the New Zealand Tests, so we are excited to see what they dish up.
“We want to win the game tomorrow and it will be great to win two from two because historically we have struggled in Australia. Last week, we really pitched up and started really well and controlled most of the game.
“If we lose, we will not say it is a total failure. We just want to keep on improving as a team and build that depth.”
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