Springboks Hungry For Redemption Against All Blacks
Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith and the entire team are highly motivated to bounce back from their defeat against the All Blacks, with the two sides set to face off for a second time in a row in Wellington on Saturday.
The Springboks fell short of breaking the All Blacks’ long-standing unbeaten record of 1994 at Eden Park, losing 24-17.
Despite coming close to a draw or even a win, the All Blacks, led by coach Scott Robertson, managed to overturn the ball on defense, with a crucial turnover in the final minute by centurion Ardie Savea.
The Springboks were visibly disappointed with the result and have since traveled from Auckland to Wellington. They will begin their on-field preparations for the Rugby Championship match at Sky Stadium on Monday.
“Personally, I’m very hungry for the next game, and hopefully I get a chance to play,” said Smith, who made things worse as he was sin-bin for 10 minutes after he was penalised for ripping the ball on the side of the ruck.
“The whole squad is motivated for the next game. We had a lot of opportunities, which we missed out on Saturday, but we know what areas we need to work on. Once we have our review, we’ll take things from there.”
Smith added: “We know what our standards are, and we’ll definitely try to rectify that.”
The energetic loose forward said one of the main differences between the teams in Auckland was the hosts’ ability to capitalise on their point-scoring chances – something the Boks struggled to do.
“Obviously, it was a massive game, and we definitely wanted a different result,” said Smith.
“It was a tough match. We didn’t use our opportunities, and they used theirs and scored a few tries, so we need to work hard for the next game.”
Smith, similarly to Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, refused to use the pouring rain as an excuse, which followed heavy rains in the city overnight on Friday, and said they needed to be more effective regardless of the conditions.
“The ball was slippery, and bounced around a lot,” said Smith. “It was also scrappy at the breakdown, and that made it difficult to attack from.
“So, that’s something we’ll definitely have a look at and work on this week.”
The Springboks are currently in third position on the Rugby Championship standings with five points, tied with the fourth placed Argentina. The Wallabies, who staged a dramatic 28-24 victory against the Pumas on Saturday, are second on nine points and All Blacks lead on 10 points with three rounds of matches remaining.
The Boks will face the Pumas in Durban on Saturday, 27 September, following Saturday’s second encounter against the All Blacks, before wrapping up their Rugby Championship campaign against the Argentineans on 4 October in London.
