The Springboks want to fix the errors they made against Ireland when they take on the winless Tonga in Marseille tomorrow, while at the same time securing a bonus-point win to go top of Pool B at the Rugby World Cup in France.
Five points from the match (9pm kick-off) will in all likelihood see them reach the quarter-finals, but they will have to graft to get past the physical onslaught the Tongans will come up with.
After falling to Ireland 13-8 in a tight clash last weekend where the Springboks struggled for points off the kicking tee and couldn’t really dominate at the breakdown and scrums, the defending world champions are set on righting their wrongs.
Should the Boks not secure the five points and unexpectedly lose, it will leave the door open for Scotland to still sneak into the second spot in the pool as they have two matches (including a tough one against Ireland) left.
The South Africans have a bye after tomorrow’s clash, and will have to wait for the outcome of the Irish and Scottish clash to see where they end up.
Coach Jacques Nienaber said yesterday that they had certain things they had to rectify that they were unable to get right against Ireland.
“In terms of our game plan, there are definitely some things that we will try a little bit differently in this game to see if it works,” said Nienaber.
“The result is very important, but we need to fix that (the things that did not go right) if we do get the opportunity to go into a quarter-final or knockout rugby. If we don’t fix those things, we probably won’t last long in this competition.
Apart from the bonus-point victory that the Boks need from the clash, they also need to see how the back-up hookers go.
There will be no Bongi Mbonambi in the middle of the scrum as utility forward Deon Fourie takes over in the No 2, with fellow loose forward Marco van Staden the replacement hooker.
This is probably the biggest risk the Springboks are taking in terms of this game – Fourie and Van Staden are both unproven at Test level, and in a must-win clash, things could go pear-shaped if their lineout throws are not on point.
It’s not only the hooker’s position that will be under scrutiny, as flyhalf Handré Pollard will also be in the spotlight tomorrow.
The Boks have been struggling with their goal-kicking, and his efforts with the boot will be closely monitored.
But first up, the 2019 World Cup winner will have to prove that he can handle the physicality of Test rugby after only playing about 40 minutes for English club Leicester since returning from his calf injury.
He hasn’t played for the Boks in more than a year, and Nienaber and company have pleaded for patience with the 29-year-old as he gets back into the swing of things.
The match also provides another opportunity for centres André Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie, and wing Makazole Mapimpi, to state their case for selection ahead of the possible play-offs.
A physical and accurate performance by the forwards, coupled with the backline using the opportunities that can be created off the go-forward ball, should see the Springboks take the win to put pressure on Scotland and Ireland ahead of their showdown next weekend.
@MikeGreenaway67
