Adversity makes us better, says Lambie
Patrick Lambie believes adversity gets the best out of the Boks, and they are set for an improved game against Samoa.
|||Birmingham - Springbok flyhalf Patrick Lambie believes that adversity gets the best out of the Springboks and they are set for a much improved performance against Samoa at Villa Park on Saturday.
Lambie who made a rare start at flyhalf in the Springboks shock defeat at the hands of Japan in their opening Pool B match in Brighton on the weekend, is hopeful that the Springboks will rise again and go on to do well in the tournament.
The Springboks are in the midst of their darkest hour yet after falling victim to the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history but Lambie is adamant that their past loss to Argentina is a lesson they can draw from.
It was during this year’s Rugby Championship that the very same Springbok team sunk to one of their lowest ebbs when they conceded their maiden loss to Argentina and finished at the bottom of the log in the competition.
While the Springboks are unanimous that their performance against Japan was below par and unacceptable, there is an unshakable belief that they can turn things around in the five days they have ahead of the game against Samoa.
“Ja, I definitely am hopeful. We don’t really have a choice now. Certainly since I’ve been involved with the Springboks it’s brought the best out of the group when we’ve had our backs against the wall. All of our focus is on Saturday against Samoa and we really want to make things right,” said Lambie from the team’s hotel in Birmingham on Monday.
Lambie acknowledged that the team were just not good enough in their game against Japan and that they were certainly not surprised by the way in which the Japanese played.
“We certainly weren’t surprised, we had spoken about it the whole that they would be up for it. We knew that it was going to be a fast game and they were going to play above themselves. Even at half-time the talk was good and everyone was calm and there weren’t too many wide eyes, so we weren’t surprised,” Lambie said.
With the Springboks now under immense pressure to win their remaining pool matches in order to make the quarter-finals, Lambie says the team’s focus should purely be on Samoa and how to match and dominate them physically.
Lambie was in the Springboks’ last team to play against Samoa at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and believes that the team should stay away from the expected off the ball incidents that marred their last encounter.
As much as there will be an emphasis on winning and dominating the Samoans physically, Lambie says it will also be a mental challenge getting the required outcome.
“Hopefully there won’t be any foul play and off the ball things this time around and no yellow cards certainly from our part. That game against Samoa was one of the most physical games I’ve been involved in and I don’t think we are expecting anything less this weekend. Samoa are always up for it playing against the Springboks and we will have to be up for it physically and mentally,” added Lambie.
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