Boks set to pile on points against Namibia
South Africa insisted they hadn’t set themselves a points target as they get ready to dismantle lowly Namibia at the Rugby World Cup — even with a dramatically altered team.
Scorelines of 87-0 last time they met in 2011, and Australia’s record 142-0 shellacking of Namibia in 2003 mean the Springboks can approach the game with confidence bordering on nonchalance.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has even picked hooker Schalk Brits at No 8 in a team that features no fewer than 13 changes from last week’s 23-13 Group B loss to New Zealand.
Even Namibia seem to have given up today’s match as a lost cause after switching 10 players from the team that troubled Italy before gallantly going down 47-22 in their opening game.
Defence coach Jacques Nienaber said that South Africa had “no points limit in our heads” against their neighbours, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.
“We are trying to develop our game across the board — attack, kicking, our mental approach, our work ethic during the week,” said Nienaber.
“So, there is a no-point limit in our heads. It is not a case of saying if we concede just three points in the game, we will be happy with that, or if we concede 30, we will be disappointed.
“We want to work on the things we lacked against New Zealand and improve in those areas. We want to build our game, improve the skill set of the individual player.”
Namibia have only had the misfortune of playing South Africa twice before: once in Cape Town in 2007, when the Springboks won 105-13, and their 87-0 win at the 2011 World Cup.
Namibia have conceded 50 or more points 11 times in 19 World Cup games, including losing 1420 against Australia in Adelaide, when the Wallabies ran in 22 tries in the tournament’s widest margin of victory.