Boks must give better than their best
Veteran Springbok wing Bryan Habana believes that the men in green and gold are going to have to play above themselves against the All Blacks.
|||It may be true that clashes between the Springboks and All Blacks usually get the best out of both sides but the Rugby World Cup semi-final duel between these two rivals will this time see the South Africans need to play above themselves if they are to beat the defending world champions.
While over the past four years the Springboks have been able to compete and once beat the All Blacks, it is the New Zealanders that have been able to deliver the knockout punch with consistency.
It is under Heyneke Meyer’s reign as Springbok coach that the pendulum has swung heavily in favour of the All Blacks after the Springboks had enjoyed a four match winning streak against their fiercest foe in the years under Peter de Villiers.
Just as much as De Villiers’ tenure is long forgotten, so too is the Springboks might and that has been highlighted by their inability to beat the All Blacks at will in recent times.
Veteran Springboks wing Bryan Habana has been there at the best and worst of times in the Springboks jumper and believes that the men in Green and Gold are going to have to play above themselves and better than their best.
“Playing against the All Blacks it automatically lifts that intensity ten fold Being the number one team in the world and being the successful team they have been over the last two decades, I think your level of wanting to prove yourself against the best in the world definitely increases. That intensity, that physicality, that pressure cauldron you get put into tends to bring the best out of you for 80 minutes. I think to beat the number one side in the world you have to be better than your best in every facet of play. The challenge that lies ahead now is that we have been playing knockout rugby for the past six weeks but we are going to need to improve in every area and aspect of the game if we want to come out on top against an All Blacks side that showed last weekend how good they can be,” Habana said making reference to the All Blacks 62-13 demolition of France in their quarterfinal match played in Cardiff.
As much as the rest of the rugby world along with France were left speechless and in awe of the might of the All Blacks, Habana believes they are beatable and that the Springboks can be that team of shattering New Zealand’s dream of being the first nation to win back-to-back titles and being crowned world champions three times.
For the Springboks to have a chance at being the first nation to hoist the Webb Ellis trophy three times they will have to have impeccable discipline, be extremely physical with ball in hand and on defence and play until they drop if they are to make it to the final.
Habana says the Springboks understand the Herculean effort that they need to put in for them to up end the applecart but nonetheless, Habana has promised a spectacle of rugby as is always the case when these two great rivals clash.
“Your discipline has to be unbelievably good. Your defence has to be sound as it ever has been before. Your physicality and intensity has to go ten notches up. You know you are in for a massive 85 to 90 minute game. We are looking forward to the challenge. We understand the threat they pose and how big that threat is. Hopefully we can go out there on Saturday and get the win we have been having over the last four weeks leading into what is going to be an epic semi-final against one of our great rivals,” Habana added.
IOL