Boks must stick to the game plan

COOL heads and clear minds will be needed if the Springboks are to get their stuttering Rugby World Cup campaign back on track in Birmingham tomorrow.

Remarkably, in their opening group game against Japan, the Boks were lacking all their usual attributes which won them two previous World Cup titles. The Boks were stunned by the ferocity of the Japanese assault and they can expect much of the same from a robust Samoan outfit tomorrow evening.

In the opening game, the Springboks did not appear to have a cohesive game plan and it is essential that they all stick to the plan tomorrow.

In the aftermath of the Japanese debacle, fingers have been pointed in all directions with coach Heyneke Meyer and ageing captain Jean de Villiers firmly in the spotlight. Insiders have even suggested that the Boks were the architects of their own downfall because they failed to stick to the game plan mapped out to them by the coaching staff.

De Villiers has been accused of kicking for the corners instead of taking the points when on offer in what proved to be the most disastrous day in the proud history of Springbok rugby.

Stung by the defeat, the Springboks will revert to their old style of forward dominance against the Samoans tomorrow evening.

One of their fiercest critics, former World Cup winning coach Jake White, has questioned why the Boks have strayed from their traditional methods. White says they have tried to become like the All Blacks and the Japanese result clearly demonstrates the experiment was a dismal failure.

South African fans will be holding their collective breath in the hope that Bok power can win the day.