With two losses on tour, Boks prepare for a tough Italian job
‘We’ll focus on our process, hopefully we’ll get the results’
The tour of Europe has not gone according to script for the Springboks; despite that, the team is still trusting their system process ahead of Saturday’s Test with Italy in Genoa.
Although the Boks have put out some inspiring performances on tour, the reality is that they have lost two matches on the spin against Ireland and France.
The process for the Boks will come full circle in next year’s Rugby World Cup in France when they defend their title.
“We got some answers from those games, we had a plan and the guys fulfilled that plan properly to the best of their abilities,” said Bok lock Salmaan Moerat from Italy during a virtual press briefing.
“Losing is never nice, but I feel that when you lose you learn a bit more.
“We are on the right track; in rugby you tend to care about the results but if you look at the process, the way we performed, we can be relatively happy. We’ll focus on our process and hopefully we get the results,” he said.
The Boks will be out to avoid a third loss on tour when they take on Italy. The Italian job will not be easy as the Azzurri are coming off a historic win over Australia at the weekend.
“The Italians are a very wellcoached side; they are getting good rewards in international rugby. They have beaten Wales away, now Australia and they also beat us in 2016,” said Springboks forwards coach Deon Davids.
“So that’s something we have got to take to heart, so we have to pitch up with the right mindset and attitude because there’s an upward curve in terms of their performance and we expect a very competitive game from them,” he said.
The Boks will announce the side to take on Italy today. Winger Cheslin Kolbe has been cleared for selection after his nasty landing on Saturday that saw him taken off.
Meanwhile, Pieter-Steph du Toit will wait for his red card hearing to conclude to know if he’ll take part.
Losing is never nice, but when you lose you learn a bit more