The Springboks will have spent Saturday night and Sunday undergoing plenty of introspection after suffering a shock defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park.
It would be no surprise if Rassie Erasmus has also delivered a bit of an “uitkak” session, but there is no time for the Springboks to feel sorry for themselves after being well and truly humbled.
Now it’s all about the manner in which they respond in Cape Town this Saturday, and what can’t be overlooked is the weather forecast for the Mother City.
The last time the Springboks played in Cape Town, they were also met with a wet weather affair against the Barbarians at the end of June, which did add to a rather scrappy performance at times.
It looks like it could be a similar affair this Saturday, with persistent rain predicted for most of the day.
According to the ever reliable WindGuru forecaster, the heaviest rainfall should be around mid morning (0.6mm/1hr), and by kick off there at least shouldn’t be much more than a light drizzle.
However, it does mean that the Springboks – and Wallabies – will need to be prepared for a slippery ball and conditions that are less conducive to the high-scoring, high ball-in-play affair we saw at Ellis Park.
Springboks need to bounce back in Cape Town
Rassie Erasmus and attack coach Tony Brown are fully aware that the Springboks have to find a better balance with their ball-in-hand evolution.
“Tony was 100% in agreement that we didn’t employ the kick-to-ruck strategy enough. Tony was saying the whole time, ‘boys, we’re overplaying, we’re overplaying,” Erasmus commented.
“It’s not Tony’s fault that we overplayed. It was more a case of the guys seeing opportunities.. but Australia’s defensive system is such that you constantly feel something’s on (to attack).”
What were your thoughts on the latest performance?
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