Strauss Urges Boks to be More Clinical Plus Etzebeth Will Make Bok History

Springbok captain Adriaan Strauss wants his team to be more clinical when they tackle the Wallabies on Saturday in Brisbane in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

The Bok hooker – who recently announced he will be retiring from Test rugby at the end of 2016 – will be captaining South Africa for the sixth time in his 60th Test match.

Strauss admitted his side have not been able to play to their potential yet, but he hopes that on Saturday they will be able to deliver a much-improved performance against the Wallabies in the Suncorp Stadium.

The hosts, Australia, have been on a losing streak – having lost their last six tests in a row (from their Rugby World Cup final loss to New Zealand last year, and the two Bledisloe Cup fixtures, plus the 3-0 loss to touring side England during June.)

However they’re still a force to be reckoned with, especially since the Springboks haven’t been playing their finest rugby either.

Strauss said: “It’s always a massive game against Australia. We are aware they are a good side, especially here in Brisbane where we don’t have a good record. We need to make a step up on defence and we must be more ruthless and take our opportunities.

“We have not been able to build scoreboard pressure and that is something we have to improve on. Australia have game breakers who can run all over the park, so our work rate will have to be up there because it’s physically tough against them.”

He said: “We need to be sharp and we need to be aware of where they are on the pitch, how they position themselves to go for that ball steal. It’s an area where they are very good at.

“We are an evolving team and we are definitely not playing the rugby that we know we are capable of playing. We know where we are heading and it’s something we are working on – it’s a process and we have put a lot of work into it, especially technically.” 

Etzebeth to Reach Springbok Milestone

Tomorrow’s match will be a big day for Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth who will become the youngest Springbok ever to earn 50 Test caps.

The 24-year lock said he still enjoys rugby in the same way as when he first started playing as a youngster.

“I enjoy the game and for me it a massive honour to play in the Green and Gold and to represent my country,” said Etzebeth.

“I am here in Australia with a special group of friends, playing for my country and I really do enjoy playing rugby.

“However, it’s all about the team and not the individual and I hope to make a meaningful contribution to our team effort on Saturday.”

Etzebeth’s old school – Hoerskool Tygerberg – posted the video below celebrating his achievement:

The Springbok team to face Australia in Brisbane:

15. Johan Goosen (Racing 92, France) 8 caps, 15 points

14. Bryan Habana (Toulon, France) 119 caps, 325 points

13. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls) 14 caps, 15 points

12. Juan de Jongh (DHL Stormers) 15 caps, 15 points

11. Francois Hougaard (Worcester Warriors, England) 35 caps, 25 points

10. Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions) 7 caps, 57 points

9. Faf de Klerk (Emirates Lions) 5 caps, 0 points

8. Warren Whiteley (Emirates Lions) 8 caps, 10 points

7. Oupa Mohoje (Toyota Cheetahs) 10 caps, 0 points

6. Francois Louw (Bath, England) 48 caps, 40 points

5. Lood de Jager (Toyota Cheetahs) 22 caps, 20 points

4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers) 49 caps, 10 points

3. Lourens Adriaanse (Cell C Sharks) 2 caps, 0 points

2. Adriaan Strauss (captain, Vodacom Bulls) 59 caps, 30 points

1. Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks) 80 caps, 10 points

Replacements:

16. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) 1 cap, 0 points

17. Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux, France) 3 caps, 0 points

18. Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls) 25 caps, 5 points

19. Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions) 2 caps, 0 points

20. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers) 13 caps, 15 points

21. Jaco Kriel (Emirates Lions) 3 caps, 0 points

22. Morné Steyn (Stade Francais, France) 62 caps, 700 points

23. Lionel Mapoe (Emirates Lions) 6 caps, 0 points

For those in South Africa, SuperSport will broadcast the match live and kick-off in the Suncorp Stadium is 12h05 (SA time).

Source: sarugby.net