Joel Stransky says the Springboks must take every scoring opportunity they get against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Boks come into the Test on the back of two successive away defeats against Argentina and Australia, with coach Rassie Erasmus now under pressure to turn things around against a team they have not beaten since 2014.
‘The loss to the Wallabies came down to three or four critical errors that ultimately cost the Springboks 14 points,’ Stransky told SARugbymag.co.za. ‘It is incredibly tough when you concede those points to come back and win the game, especially in Australia.’
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The former Bok flyhalf, who is in New Zealand with SuperSport, says the mood in the Bok camp is still good.
‘I would imagine they were bitterly disappointed and some harsh words were said after the game, but the guys are putting on brave faces and seem really keen to put things right this weekend.’
The Springbok halfbacks, presumably Faf de Klerk and Handré Pollard, will face a tough job in containing Beauden Barrett, who scored a total of 53 points in two Tests against the Wallabies.
‘To stop Barrett, we need to prevent the All Blacks from getting on the front foot and turnover ball. You can’t man-mark a guy like Barrett because he is brilliant at identifying and exploiting space.
‘Our halfbacks will need to give us that direction and be the generals of the team. They will have to win the kicking game because the All Blacks will kick a lot and kick well.’
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Stransky said the Boks would need to be ultra-clinical against a side that won’t present many opportunities to score.
‘I think it comes down to the team collectively rather than the halfbacks,’ he said. ‘Every single sniff that the All Blacks give us, we need to take.
‘We need to be incredibly clinical. But we also need to stop giving the All Blacks turnovers, because the moment they get one, they will kill you.’
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
