Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says they were not happy with their below-par performance against Argentina. Photo: Daniel Salvatori / Reuters
South Africa skipper Jean de Villiers stated yesterday that an unimpressive win over Argentina was a timely reminder that the Springboks must improve before tackling Australia and New Zealand during September.
A subdued national squad arrived in Johannesburg after two late Morne Steyn penalties scraped a 22-17 win against rivals they had whipped by 60 points in Soweto a week earlier.
The Springboks tackle Australia in Brisbane on September 7 and world champions New Zealand in Auckland seven days later in the Rugby Championship.
Centre De Villiers told reporters at OR Tambo airport outside Johannesburg that a lot of hard work lay ahead if the green and gold were to be competitive in Australasia.
“We need to improve before the next games – there were too many handling errors and too many other mistakes in Argentina. That match was a wake-up call for us.
“Match statistics showed there were only 29 minutes of play and that is too little by any standards. It was a stop-start game and we could not pick up the pace.
“We get together again this Thursday and will be preparing well for the trip abroad,” said the 32-year-old who became captain when John Smit retired after the 2011 Rugby World Cup. – AAP
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