The Springboks celebrated a resounding victory over Australia in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, marking a successful accomplishment of their objectives. With a commanding 31-point lead, the Springboks’ performance stood as their third-largest victory against Australia in the history of their encounters. Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, emphasising the need for further improvement. Although they recognised areas for growth, the Springboks were content with the result and considered it a solid foundation to build upon.
Stick highlighted the importance of converting opportunities into points and cited finishing as an area that requires enhancement. He acknowledged the physicality of the Australian side and emphasised the significance of capitalising on limited chances against formidable opponents like the All Blacks and Argentina.
Regarding their style of play, Stick clarified that it was not a radical departure but rather an evolution. The team embraced an expansive approach, allowing players the freedom to exploit opportunities. Stick praised the execution of their game plan and acknowledged that their defensive efforts in the early stages set the stage for scoring opportunities later on.
Looking ahead, Stick expressed the team’s determination to continue improving. Despite the focus on the upcoming World Cup, their priority is steady growth. The Springboks were pleased with the manner in which they won the game, considering Australia’s physicality throughout the match. Captain Duane Vermeulen echoed these sentiments and emphasised the need to start strong and maintain intensity from the beginning of test matches.
“Australia fetched a big pack and we are still a bit rusty with things we can work on – scrum wise with a couple of free kicks and penalty against us – but later on as we went on in the game we found our feet and we grew really in confidence. That’s some of the things we are happy about, but it’s test match rugby and you’ve got to be on song from the start and you can’t ease into the game.”
Vermeulen credited the 50,000-strong crowd for fueling their victory and expressed the hope that the team’s send-off against Argentina at Emirates Airline Park would be similarly inspiring. He acknowledged the support they received and urged fans to fill the stadium for their final match before the World Cup.
“It was fantastic coming out seeing the support,” he said, “from singing the anthem onwards and every single player at every scrum, lineout we could hear the people and it’s that extra energy and like having a 16th man on the field – it really pushed us through.
Vermeulen appreciated the phenomenal support in South Africa and expressed gratitude to everyone who had shown up, recognising the significant impact their presence had on the team’s performance.
“The support we have in South Africa is phenomenal and from our side we’d just like to say ‘thank you’ to every single person who was out there – it really is fantastic.”
