Boks have little to gain, plenty to lose

Today’s Group B World Cup match against Namibia in Toyota, Japan, is one the Springboks should win ... one they should win comfortably. After losing to the three-time champion All Blacks last weekend in their opener, the Boks have made wholesale changes for the clash, including handing 38-year-old hooker Schalk Brits the captaincy and moving him to the unfamiliar position of eighthman.

It is a game that offers the Springboks very little to gain, but plenty to lose. They need to bounce back from their opening defeat, walk away with the five points on offer and avoid any serious injuries.

Even though South African rugby coach Rassie Erasmus has selected a largely second-string side, Namibia face a mountain to climb if they are to put on a respectable showing.

Let’s put the statistics into perspective. The Boks are ranked fifth in the world – 18 places ahead of their neighbours. Namibia have never won a World Cup match in 20 attempts. The Springboks have won the Webb Ellis trophy twice, only losing seven of their 37 World Cup matches in their history. Three of those losses are against the mighty All Blacks.

Namibia have been thumped in their only two matches against South Africa before – a 105-13 loss in Cape Town in 2007, and their 87-0 defeat at the 2011 World Cup.

The Springboks have been quick to point out that they won’t take this Test lightly.

“Every match is a must-win game for us now and we are treating this match with the same level of preparation as we did New Zealand last week,” said Erasmus. “You always lose momentum in a defeat and we need to regain that with a victory and a strong performance.”

That talk counts for very little if it is not backed up by actions. Erasmus’ men need to make a statement today that they mean business in Japan ... regardless of who they are facing.