Boks look to youth to restore pride on European tour after ‘letting the fans down’

28 October 2016 - 19:52 By Craig Ray

The Springboks’ tour to Britain and Italy represents a new start after a difficult year as the team tries to salvage some pride after a season fraught with lowlights. A record 57-15 loss against the All Blacks in Durban was the lowest ebb‚ but 2016 also included a first-ever home loss against Ireland and a first away loss against Argentina.The All Blacks scored 15 tries and only conceded one against the Springboks‚ while also racking up 98 points in two matches against South Africa. With four wins in nine Tests‚ it’s been a forgettable season for the Springboks‚ but that could change with a successful tour.A non-Test against the Barbarians is followed by Tests against England at Twickenham‚ Italy in Florence and Wales at the Millennium Stadium. It’s a tough schedule but also one that could restore some pride in the bottle green jersey if it’s successful.Backline coach Mzwandile Stick said he was excited and also motivated because of so many new faces in the Springbok squad for this tour.There are 12 new caps in the squad to face the Barbarians and of those‚ four uncapped players – centre Francois Venter‚ wing Sergeal Petersen‚ openside Roelof Smit and blindside Jean-Luc du Preez – will stay on for the Tests.“I’m excited for the young guys because they bring energy‚ especially on a tour like this when you’re away for five weeks‚” Stick said.“Guys like Sergeal‚ Francois and Jamba Ulengo [who is in the Barbarians squad] all played in the Currie Cup final last week and learnt from that experience too.“Venter showed his character as a leader for the Cheetahs this season. He’s been great when things have gone well but even better when things weren’t going so well for the Cheetahs in Super Rugby.“He stuck with his team and they stuck together and turned things around. That’s kind of where we are at as the Springboks and we need to turn things around.“We need to make peace with the country because its unique and we know we can’t please everyone. But I know the fans are passionate about the game and we have let them down.“The match against New Zealand in Durban was disappointing. We are under pressure but we have to focus on the process to try and turn it around.”Cheetahs head coach Franco Smith has joined the tour as an assistant and Stick has welcomed his involvement.“Franco is very experienced and that’s been great for me‚” Stick said. “He is a dynamic coach and he empowers the players to make the right decisions.”Venter showed maturity when asked about his expectations of entering a struggling Springbok setup.“We can’t change anything that happened in the past‚ we can only look forward‚” Venter said. “We want to bring pride back to the Bok jersey and we are working hard to achieve that.“Right now I just want to contribute in any way. I don’t know how much involvement I will have yet but we just have to find our trust and gel a bit.”The Boks haven’t lost to England in a decade‚ with SA winning 11 of the last 12 matches with one draw since 2006.But under new coach Eddie Jones the red roses are a team in the rise. They’ve won nine consecutive Tests‚ which included winning three in a row in their June Series against Australia.Jones has already started the media battle with the Springboks‚ commenting on a wide range of issues from transformation to the state of the Bok play and the 10-year winless streak during the week.“We don’t have a great record against South Africa so we’ve got change to make new history‚ ” Jones said.“They’ve lost four or five icon players and they're regenerating themselves under a new coach but we know they’ll be up for it at Twickenham.“They’ve picked an interesting squad and look like they’ll play a little more rugby than we’re used to from South Africa.“At 10 they have [Elton] Jantjies‚ [Pat] Lambie and possibly Johan Goosen so we’ll probably see a different style from the South African team that will present different challenges for our defence.“The new coach‚ Allister Coetzee‚ coached the Stormers for a long period of time and they played with great width. It’s going to be a different sort of challenge from South Africa‚ but one we’re excited about. ”..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.