Boks are at their best when we’ve been written off, says Meyer

05 October 2015 - 12:49 By Craig Ray

Late president Nelson Mandela was honoured with induction into the Rugby Hall of Fame moments before the Springboks dismantled Scotland at St James’ Park‚ and it seems some Madiba magic is rubbing off on the class of 2015. After humiliation against Japan two weeks ago‚ the Springboks are beginning to flex their considerable muscle with displays of fearsome physicality against Samoa and Scotland. And it’s been done quietly as they slip under the radar.So far‚ the Boks have been consigned to playing in football stadiums in Brighton Birmingham and Newcastle — not major rugby centres.They have all been wonderful occasions at superb venues. But they returned to London on Sunday‚ a date with the USA at Olympic Park looming before hopefully their first appearance at a “proper” rugby stadium to come in the quarter-finals.Spontaneous applause broke at Newcastle station as the squad marched through the station concourse to catch the 11am train to King’s Cross.The train was packed with Springbok fans heading to the capital; most the worse for wear after a night on the tiles at Grey Street’s pubs and nightclubs.With England consumed by the fate of their national team‚ who ignominiously crashed out of the tournament on Saturday night‚ the Boks have recovered from the Japan debacle to hit some form almost unnoticed. Coach Heyneke Meyer prefers it that way.“I don’t want (captain) Fourie (Du Preez) to hear this‚ but we can’t play as favourites‚ we’re at our best when we’ve been written off‚” Meyer said.Du Preez‚ sitting next to Meyer‚ gave the coach shocked stare and shook his head in good-natured disagreement‚ a wry smile evident. Sometimes Meyer says odd things.The Boks will turn their attention to the USA on Monday although Meyer would’ve already decided on the team for their final pool match before the Scotland clash — injuries permitting.During last week’s training sessions the team chopped and changed frequently‚ clearly with one eye on the US game given that they will only have one full training session before the meeting.“The USA are a well-coached team and against Scotland they had scrum dominance‚ so we won’t be taking them lightly‚” Meyer said.“We’ve said it before‚ even before the tournament started‚ but there aren’t any easy games anymore. They just about all go down to the last 10 minutes.”Du Preez is set to retain the captaincy with Victor Matfield not likely to risk his hamstring with the playoffs now a reality.Flank Schalk Burger is also battered and played through a shoulder injury against Scotland‚ so he is also likely to be rested on Wednesday.That paves the way for Siya Kolisi to make his first Test start with Willem Alberts likely to continue his comeback from the bench. Alberts was only used in the final 10 minutes against Scotland after a catalogue of niggling injuries has plagued his season.Halfbacks Rudy Paige and Morné Steyn could see some action for the first time in the tournament‚ but more than likely off the bench. Meyer wants to keep some consistency in selection.Another issue Meyer will confront is discipline. The Boks gave away a not-unreasonable 11 penalties against Scotland. But tighthead Jannie du Plessis received a yellow card for a needless shoulder charge and that kind of madness could scupper the campaign in a tight play-off match.“Discipline is a non-negotiable and we can’t complain about any of the calls — the referee had a great match. He let the game ‘breathe’ but we let ourselves down at times‚” Meyer said“I will make some hard decisions if I have to because three points could be the difference between winning and losing the World Cup.“Our tackle technique is to go high and that sometimes makes it difficult to roll away when a ruck is formed‚ so we may have to review our technique slightly.“But the bottom line is I’m ready to make some hard decisions because playing with 14 men is unacceptable.”..

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