Deon Davids and Steven Kitshoff say the Springboks will not be tearing up the playbook as they try to get their Rugby Championship campaign back on track after two successive losses. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Springbok duo appeared to be in high spirits during a media briefing on Monday, despite going into the week on back-to-back losses against New Zealand and Australia.
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While there was plenty of disappointment and fury back home following the latest defeat, a 25-17 loss in Adelaide, Kitshoff revealed that the post-match review has only strengthened the Springboks’ belief in their gameplan.
“Of course, we were extremely disappointed,” said Kitshoff. “There were a lot of opportunities for us to score tries. Those 15 minutes before half time when we couldn’t get any points were extremely frustrating. We allowed them to score two quick tries just past half time, which we were very disappointed in post-game.
“When we went through the review and saw the opportunities we did create, the performance was actually much better than we thought.
“There was an incredible vibe at training today,” added Kitshoff. “The meetings and training itself went really well. The guys are in a good head space. Even though we lost and it’s only Monday, we are up for a big match this weekend.”
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Forwards coach Davids said that despite big questions being asked from pundits about the gameplan, the Springboks will stick to the script as they look to get back on a winning path in Sydney.
“We know how important winning momentum is, but if you look at our pattern of play, we created plenty of opportunities. So, we believe in what we are doing,” Davids said. “We can improve our decision-making in a couple of areas and how we react to certain situations. But we fully believe that we are still on the right track.”
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Kitshoff agreed with the assistant coach: “Two losses are a bitter pill to swallow, but we still believe this is a talented, experienced, world-beating team. If we can work on one or two things during the week and properly execute the plan, I believe we will get back to winning.”
Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
