Big weekend for Bucs and Boks
KHANYISO TSHWAKU Durban
THERE is nothing South African teams enjoy more than playing without pressure.
With the Rugby Championship to be decided in Sydney rather than Durban, the Springboks will take a win in any shape or form.
The Boks last tasted victory against Italy last year and judging by their narrow losses to Wales, Australia and New Zealand, they have lost their touch when it comes to closing out matches.
This needs to be rediscovered, even though Argentina have not quite shown an inclination to win in this year’s Rugby Championship.
The last thing the Boks want to do is to go into the World Cup carrying the Rugby Championship wooden spoon, which will be viewed in a positive light by their Pool A heavyweight opponents, one of whom the Boks will have to face in the quarterfinals.
The Boks have to put up a decent score at Kings Park tomorrow against the Pumas, who have yet to beat them.
The Boks have their second-last opportunity of ironing out their final wrinkles while fine-tuning their gameplan against the weakest team in the competition.
Not that Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer thinks that way, especially with the headaches that the Pumas have given him during his tenure.
“People don’t realise what a tough side they are to play against. They’re also one of the best mauling sides in the world. I’ve got respect for them and that’s why I’ve gone with a strong team.”
All eyes will be on Jean de Villiers and how his knee holds up in his return from a cruel injury suffered against Wales in Cardiff. The Bok backline has functioned well in his absence, particularly the combination of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
But the inability of the Boks to convert winning leads into wins against the Wallabies and the All Blacks suggested a lack of on-field leadership, so Meyer was enthusiastic about his captain’s return.
TSHEPANG MAILWANE
NO ONE likes to lose, but Orlando Pirates defender Ntsikelelo Nyauza feels the defeat to Ajax Cape Town in the MTN8 earlier this week was a blessing in disguise ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup clash with CS Sfaxien.
The Buccaneers take on Sfaxien at Orlando Stadium tomorrow at 8.15pm, eager to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at the same venue on Tuesday.
The Soweto giants, who are in second place on six points in group B, will book a spot in the semifinals of the continental club competition if they overcome the Tunisian side and AC Leopards draw or lose against Egypt’s Zamalek in the other group match.
“We lost to Ajax but it can somehow be an advantage for us.
“If we had won it, then maybe we would have taken our next opponents lightly,” Nyauza said. “Now we are hungry to bounce back and lift our game.
“The pressure is on us because this game will determine if we progress to the semifinals. We need to win it. They are a good side. They have not been doing so well, but we cannot undermine them.”
Nyauza admits things will be a lot harder now that they are back to juggling the domestic league and Confederation Cup.
During the off season, the Buccaneers were able to focus solely on the continental club competition and they had enough rest between matches.
Now there will be very little time for rest or training between the long trips on the continent and playing league matches.
It also does not help that there are injury concerns in the team.
“It’s hard for the coaches and for us as players to play with our teammates getting injured. But it happens and we have to work extra hard knowing our key players are out,” said Nyauza.
“We are trying to cope with the schedule,” Nyauza added.
“Coach (Eric Tinkler) has been telling us to rest as much as possible so that we can perform. We have to be positive.”