Ex Superpsort
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer reckons his team has become adaptable enough to be able to win no matter what conditions the vengeful last gasps of the Cape winter may throw at his team at Newlands on Saturday.
With the Castle Lager Rugby Championship having reached a stage where bonus points have become crucial in the jostling to determine the winner, it is generally accepted that a good win over the Wallabies is a non-negotiable for Jean de Villiers and his team.
Of course, a wet day could get in the way of that objective, and Meyer admits that he is paying more attention to the weather than he normally would in the build-up to a test.
But while he says he would far prefer Saturday to be a dry day and the underfoot conditions firm and fast, it won’t be a disaster if another one of those rainy squalls that don’t seem to understand that 1 September is supposed to be the beginning of Spring in South Africa, comes rolling along the side of Table Mountain and condemns it to be a wet-weather test match.
“The weather is a consideration and I am taking note of it, and it is funny to think that in the past we would probably have preferred a wet field against the Wallabies but now that has changed,” said Meyer on Monday.
“We would prefer a dry field as our attacking game has been working for us and we would like to score a lot of tries. I am sure the spectators at Newlands would also be pleased to see a dry game. We are proud of our attacking record this season and back ourselves to move the ball around and score tries.
“But the great thing about this Bok team is that we can play both types of game, and we can easily adapt to a wet-weather game as well if that is what is required. Where we are getting it right this year is in the set-phases, and that is usually where a wet-weather game is won and lost. (Please note ou maaaikie!)
"The 2015 World Cup will probably feature wet-weather games and will be played on heavier fields where domination of the set-pieces will be important, so we have that in the back of our minds as well.”
On the evidence of the last match between these sides in Brisbane, it would appear to be the Boks who have the advantage at forward and in the kicking game that could determine the result of a wet-weather match.
However, Meyer said he was not reading too much into what happened last time his men played the Wallabies.
“They would have identified where they fell short in Brisbane, and we know they will have been working really hard on their scrumming,” he said.
“But our scrum has been working really well for us this year and it has become a real strength. A lot of people said the new engagement laws would work against us but we’ve got them to work for us. So we are confident we can put in another strong performance.(Please note ou maaaikie - the scrum is working really well. Jannie as you know is the tighthead)
“It is dangerous though to read too much into the scores of one game. Earlier this year the All Blacks played the French in three test matches and they won one really well and the other two were closely fought. We smashed Argentina at Soccer City and then struggled to beat them in the next game.
“Playing at home will be a lift for us, but you can’t just assume that because we beat them well on their home field last time it will be easier for us now. It doesn’t work like that and we need to keep working hard and improving or we will be caught out.
"It all depends on how it goes on the day, how your plan comes together. We must stick to our disciplines and keep putting pressure on them and hopefully that will bring us the result we want.
“We must focus on this as a new game and a different challenge and just keep working hard at doing it right, because we know that three weeks can be a long time in rugby.”
The Wallabys are going doooown.
