Faf defends kicking game
FAF DE KLERK: I’M DOING WHAT RASSIE TELLS ME TO DO
Bok scrumhalf says the grief he took shows how passionate the fans are.
While he admits he has noticed the comments being made by supporters back home, Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk has brushed aside the criticism of his infamous box-kick exploits at the World Cup.
“Players always say they try and stay away from it, but it’s impossible not to see what is being put out there,” De Klerk said yesterday.
“Some of the stuff is really funny, and I enjoy some of the stuff that people come up with, but some guys also get a bit personal.”
De Klerk is again expected to be a key figure in the Boks’ game plan in their semifinal against Wales on Sunday, and his approach with the boot was taken under direct instruction from Bok coach Rassie Erasmus.
He nonetheless accepted the opinions of fans, opting to view their critical reaction as a reflection of their passion.
“People love the Boks and they are very invested in the team and if they see something go wrong, or if they’re not agreeing with it (the game plan), they let us know,” De Klerk said.
“It’s not because they’re negative. It’s because they’re very invested, and we appreciate that as players because we know we have got great support behind us.”
De Klerk, who scored his fourth Test try in a Man-of-the-Match performance in their quarterfinal win over Japan, remains the team’s first-choice scrumhalf despite calls being made for him to be replaced by Herschel Jantjies or Cobus Reinach.
“At the end of the day, when we win they are going to be happy we got the job done,” he said.
“But we know in the camp what works for us and what doesn’t, and we try and listen to the coaching staff and the players around us. That’s the main thing.”
The Boks need to be clinical, De Klerk felt, against a Welsh team which had an excellent kicking game, with scrumhalf Gareth Davies playing a key role.
“They are really competing well in the air and if we can get a few balls back in the air against their very good wingers, it’ll be good,” he said.
“We do kick a lot but we try and read the game and we try and get momentum.
“It’s going to be a different struggle against Wales as they’re one of the teams that kick the most and they back their defence.”
Tokyo – Scrumhalf Ben Youngs (above) is hoping to add to his family’s impressive record against the All Blacks when England take on New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal on Saturday.
England have won just seven of their 41 Tests against the reigning world champions but two of those victories have featured various generations of the Youngs family.
Back in 1983 Nick Youngs, Ben’s father and also a scrumhalf, played in England’s 15-9 victory at Twickenham.
And seven years ago at Twickenham, both Ben and his brother Tom, a prop, starred in a 38-21 success – England’s last win over the All Blacks.
Asked if beating New Zealand was in his DNA, Youngs, 30, told reporters at England’s hotel yesterday: “The old man did it. Maybe, I don’t know, we will see.”
However, the 2012 win remains the only victory the
Youngs has enjoyed in eight Tests against New Zealand.
And the memory of a 1615 loss when England played them at Twickenham in November is still fresh in the mind of the Leicester No 9.
On that occasion, the hosts let slip an early 15-0 lead while flanker Sam Underhill had a try controversially disallowed for a marginal offside involving Courtney Lawes.
“I felt probably we were in control a little bit in those first 25, 30 minutes but they kept coming back,” added Youngs.
New Zealand showed in their impressive 46-14 quarterfinal win against Ireland the importance of remaining “error-free,” said Youngs.
“A couple of Ireland mistakes and they are down at the other end scoring off the back of it. The mental bit comes from staying engaged and never clocking off,” he said.
“They are the most dangerous team in the world.”