The Springboks are hailing their improving ball-in-hand work but acknowledge their kicking game will need to be ''spot on'' if they are to beat the All Blacks in Johannesburg this weekend.
The Boks displayed some impressive continuity in beating the Wallabies in Cape Town last weekend and want more of the same against New Zealand.
It's a dead rubber in terms of the Rugby Championship which the All Blacks have already wrapped up for a third successive year.
But the Springboks are eager to continue their development and also strike a psychological blow ahead of next year's World Cup.
They are showing a willingness to evolve their game under coach Heyneke Meyer with young first-five Handre Pollard central to their attempts to play a more fluid game.
Backline coach Ricardo Loubscher fronted the media today and pointed out that the ball was in play for 45 minutes last weekend (35mins 25secs was the average for a 2011 World Cup game) and that the Boks had provided plenty of the action.
''We made 177 carries. That is huge, and this was a game where we proved we are more than capable of going through 20-plus phases,'' Loubscher said.
He believed the fine weather in Cape Town had finally allowed the Springboks to display the sort of game they were wanting to achieve.
Johannesburg's notorious blue skies are likely to be benefit that philosophy again though they will also play into an All Blacks' strength.
''This was really the first time that the conditions allowed us to play like we want to play, and I thought we got it spot on. The conditions overseas were really tough,'' Loubscher said.
The Springboks were able to wear down the Wallabies with their ball retention, eventually swamping them in the final 11 minutes with three well-taken tries for a victory that has really lifted the rugby-mad nation.
With Johannesburg's altitude also offering big gains for accurate tactical kicking, not to mention goalkicking, the pressure will be on Pollard to find the right balance when dealing with the Springboks' possession.
Loubscher acknowledged that hadn't been a strength during the Rugby Championship and mistakes were vulnerable to the All Blacks' strong counter-attacking game.
''We've been striving for the right balance between kicking and running for some time,'' Loubscher said.
''It's not whether you kick or not, but rather when you kick and how you kick.
''When you're playing against a team like the All Blacks, you can't afford to kick the ball away aimlessly. As we have seen, they have the ability to punish poor kicks.
''We've just got to get the accuracy right. In the last few games we were not accurate enough. There is a right time to kick and the chasing lines have to be right.
"If you get it wrong it can place you under massive pressure and it will have to be spot on against the All Blacks.''
The All Blacks won the battle of the boot in tense 14-10 win over the Springboks in Wellington and Beauden Barrett will be charged with delivering again at Ellis Park while halfback Aaron Smith has also displayed strengths in this department.
''Defensively, there will be pressure with the All Blacks looking to kick in behind you or when they put up the box kick. We will need to handle that,'' Loubscher said.
- Stuff
