Boks need some self-belief
The Boks can’t be accused of having lacked guts and determination at the World Cup, says Jacques van der Westhuyzen.
|||Johannesburg - We cannot say the Springboks have been lacking for guts and determination at the World Cup - it is what has got them to the semi-finals, but if they are to beat the All Blacks and progress to the final they’re going to have to regain their self-belief.
It is the one thing I have found lacking in their play in the tournament.
Confidence is defined as “having full trust and belief in oneself”, and I’m not sure all the players, or Heyneke Meyer, possess this quality at the moment.
After going down to Japan in the first round of action, the Boks reverted to a more conservative brand of rugby, heavily reliant on the forwards, and while it has served them well, the Boks may need more than that to get past New Zealand on Saturday.
Meyer and Co trust set-piece play and the forwards to grind down the opposition - as they did against Wales at the weekend - but the backline play has lacked conviction and confidence and one can only hope it is rediscovered for the semi-final.
The All Blacks always play with confidence and it’s the reason why they’re so dominant. The players are allowed to simply play because the coach believes in every man, that he’ll do the right thing for the team.
Argentina, too, have played with unbelievable assuredness at the World Cup. They’re still powerful up front, but the backs have really come to the party in the last few weeks. They’re happy to have a go and the coach is happy for them to make the odd mistake. They’ve been the most improved side in world rugby in the last year and have played as close to “All Blacks rugby” as anyone at the tournament.
Australia, despite suffering a big wobble against Scotland, have also powered through the tournament looking like a side high on self-belief. The Boks, though, have looked formulaic, stressed and afraid to make mistakes.
Of course, limiting errors is crucial for success, but I sense the players are scared to have a go, in case they blunder. Have the backs, especially, been given the freedom to just play? I hope so, because if they haven’t it’s going to be a real struggle to breach the All Blacks’ defence on Saturday.
That said, the All Blacks will be just as wary of the Boks as Meyer’s men are of the defending champions. They’ll know that matches between them are usually won and lost by small margins.
As one supporter said to me on Sunday, it’s maybe not a bad thing if the Boks just hang on to the ball in the forwards; that would rob the All Blacks of possession. Perhaps, but I’d like to see the Boks play some total rugby this weekend. I’d like to see them play with confidence, from one to 15.
The Star