Whiteley eyes even more cut, thrust from the Boks
AN unprecedented series whitewash is not something Springbok captain Warren Whiteley expected but today's third Test against France at Ellis Park will be about sharpening up their processes.
The Springboks could be allowed to bask in the glory of a series win after victories in Pretoria and Durban. However, the evolution of this Bok side under Allister Coetzee and Whiteley means there’s no resting on laurels.
There is a lot they have done right over the past fortnight but the hunger and the desire to improve is still there. This is a sign of a changing Bok culture under Coetzee where the previous week’s performance is not good enough despite the positive result and there’s the need to get better.
“The fact that it's 2-1 series win hasn't been mentioned this week, so for us, it's an individual game that we as a Springbok team need to perform in.
“That is our goal. We are looking at this game as an individual one and we want to keep improving,” Whiteley said.
“We love our rugby and we love our sport. I believe we've set a good foundation but there’s still a lot of hard work to be done.”
It has been a time of good change for the Boks with four debutants in the first Test and Ruan Dreyer joining the queue at his home ground. While most teams would struggle with such wholesale change, the wonders it has worked for the Boks have been translated in results and Dreyer could seemingly fit in to the team like a glove.
With the fact that Dreyer is the fourth Lions player to make his debut in this series and with Andries Coetzee, Courtnall Skosan and Ross Cronje having raised the bar, the tighthead prop has high standards to meet.
Whiteley has faith in his teammate and understandably so. Dreyer stepped into the void created by Julian Redelinghuys's unfortunate neck injury last year and made sure the Lions' set-piece functioned faultlessly.
“Ruan was with me on my first Springbok tour alongside Jaco Kriel in 2014 and we were the only three players not to play on that end of year tour,” Whiteley said.
“It wasn't easy to go on a fourweek tour and not get a game. I've been on this journey with him for a long time and I watched him grow.
“When I got to the Lions, he was one of the first people I greeted. I've come a long way with him and it's going to be a proud moment for him. I’m extremely proud of him.
“He's been knocking on the door for a number of years and I don’t think I need to tell him much. He knows exactly what he needs to do and what his job entails. I know he's going to have a stormer.”
Whiteley isn’t overawed by the honour of captaining the Test side on his home patch, especially coupled with the fact the French have a decent record at Ellis Park.
France haven't lost to South Africa in Johannesburg in four attempts and there's pride at stake for the wounded side, something Whiteley is aware of.
“The French aren’t going to roll over and die. They're a proud rugby nation and we know they're right at the end of their season,” Whiteley said.
“We know it's going to be a physical match and it's not going to be easy. It’s only natural for us to play better and make sure we have a better performance than last week.
“It’s going to be exciting to play at a packed Ellis Park and everyone knows what needs to be done and the processes that need to be followed.
“That’s what we're focused on at the moment and we need to stay in that moment. We know it's going to be a special moment, especially with the family being here.”
South Africa: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Dillyn Leyds.
France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Nans Ducuing, 13 Damian Penaud, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Virimi Vakatawa. 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Kevin Gourdon, 6 Yacouba Camara, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Subs: 16 Clement Maynadier, 17 Xavier Chiocci, 18 Uini Atonio, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Vincent Rattez.