Francois Louw wants to help narrow gap on All Blacks

Recalled Springbok flank Francois Louw is determined to help the Springboks narrow the widening gap on the All Blacks in the coming weeks and months‚ starting against Australia this weekend.

The Boks meet the Wallabies in a round five Rugby Championship match in Bloemfontein‚ after both suffering heavy defeats against the All Blacks this season.

New Zealand hammered South Africa 57-0 in Albany two weeks ago and they smashed Australia 54-34 in Sydney last month.

Louw‚ who only re-joined the Bok squad from English club side Bath on Monday‚ has watched the tournament from afar and admits witnessing the All Blacks pulling further ahead of their old rivals hurts him.

The word ‘rival’ is fast becoming a misnomer.

“There is no doubt that recent results are very disappointing‚” Louw‚ who has 52 Test caps and played against the All Blacks 11 times‚ said.

“Even though I wasn’t involved in the game in Albany‚ I still feel partly responsible because I have been part of the Springboks’ squad every year since 2010.

“I’ve played many Tests against the All Blacks and it remains SA’s biggest rivalry. At no stage do we‚ or rugby in general‚ want to lose that special battle and derby we have against the All Blacks.

“It’s very important for us to get back to a level playing field with them and be competitive. Obviously we want to win‚ but [first] we need to match them in every encounter.

“There is a lot of pressure for us to do that. I believe we are on the right track and only time will tell if it’s the right path. But there are of lot of structures being put in place to assist us in getting back to where the Boks should be.”

Louw will come up against the Aussies for a 10th time this weekend and in his previous nine matches he has been on the winning side four times.

It’s always a mighty battle at the breakdown against the Aussie poachers‚ and Michael Hooper in particular‚ and it’s another contest Louw is relishing at a stage in his career where every Bok match is a bonus.

“The Aussie looseforwards are very active on the field‚” Louw said.

“Sean McMahon is a very good ball carrier and been very good for them so far this season and Hooper is a great player.

“Both on attack and defence he gets around the park‚ but not to sound too cliché‚ but we have to focus on our game. We need to stick to our systems on defence and shut down their attack.”

Louw and fellow flank Siya Kolisi have played together numerous times but No 8 Uzair Cassiem is unknown to Louw. He has enjoyed what he has seen in training.

“Siya has been phenomenal for the Boks this year‚ and come into his own.” Louw said. “He is explosive‚ exciting on attack and gets the job done on defence.

“It’s been great getting to know Uzair and he has done a solid job coming in for Warren Whiteley.

"I’m looking forward to the combination and hopefully we can do something special on the weekend.”

 - TimesLIVE