Springboks to keep developing game as they target Wallabies win — Stick

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says that the team will be looking to continue developing their game as they target a perfect start to the Rugby Championship against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday morning (kick-off 6:45am SA time).

This season the Boks welcomed two new coaches, attack coach Tony Brown and defence coach Jerry Flannery, and they have been slowly tweaking their game, while bringing in new innovations.

So far this season they have enjoyed big wins over Wales and Portugal, while they picked up a decent win over Ireland, but also fell to a last gasp drop goal from them, showing that they aren’t yet the complete package.

Poor record

Despite their poor record in Australia, Stick believes the team has prepared well and that they can start the Rugby Championship with a win, at a ground they have only won once at.

“If we place ourselves under pressure because of that we’ll be on the wrong track. This week is about trying to improve on our game. So, we must pitch up with the right mindset, implement our plans well and be effective in our execution,” explained Stick at Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“As a team we want to win every game we play, and we want to do it for South Africa. A win is very important for us because we still want to develop our game and continue to evolve with our new coaches in Jerry and Tony.

“We didn’t pitch up in our last few games in Australia, and we cannot afford to do that again this weekend. They have a team boasting players with a great X-factor, and who are good enough to punish you if you make mistakes or don’t go into the game well prepared.

“We also want to build on what we did against Portugal, and having a few extra days in Brisbane helped us. In my opinion, it was probably one of our best training weeks.”

The Boks are also giving a number of new players a chance to impress in a high profile match, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting at flyhalf and Elrigh Louw at eighthman, both making their fifth cap.

Prop Gerhard Steenekamp will also make his fourth Bok appearance, while utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon will make his third, when they come off the bench during the match.

No pressure

A lot of pressure has been placed on rising talent Feinberg-Mngomezulu in particular, with plenty of pundits and fans expecting a lot from him, however Stick says that the coaches have put no pressure on the young man during the week.

“From our side as coaches, we’re just sticking to our routine and how we normally work with players. We aren’t going to put pressure on Sacha just because he is getting his first start. How we’ve treated him over the past two weeks is how we normally treat players,” explained Stick.

“We aren’t putting any pressure on him to have one of these ninja games. He doesn’t need to have any ninja game for me. As long as he implements our plan very well, the guys around him will give him the platform to perform.

“I know a lot of people are excited that Sacha is starting. He has been around our team and he knows how we go about our business. He works really, really hard with his basics. People are focused more on his X-factor.

“But he is maturing in our system. With all the opportunities that he has got, you can see that he isn’t shy. He doesn’t shy away from challenges. He’s got a very big heart, so hopefully things go well for him.”