adminCAPE TOWN. — Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber pronounced himself satisfied with the series win over Wales after his team’s 30-14 win in Cape Town on Saturday, but warned there was still a lot of work to do before the side head into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
But the team could be without winger Cheslin Kolbe, who left the field early with a suspected broken jaw and if the worst diagnosis is received, he may play little or no part in the Rugby Championship going ahead.
Nienaber said the team had no option but to deliver for the third Test.
“I still think we have a lot to work on, we created a lot of opportunities, much like we did last weekend, but we didn’t capitalise,” Nienaber said.
“Every week we selected a team that we felt could beat Wales and we controlled the game well last weekend but for our discipline at the end meant things didn’t go our way.
“This was a final for us and we had to deliver. There was not even an option of not delivering.”
Nienaber said he wasn’t sure of the extent of Kolbe’s injury and would wait for the medical team to report back but said it “wasn’t ideal.”
“The call on the field was that it was a suspected broken jaw, and that is not ideal, especially when you have a six-two split – this always comes at a risk, and if you lose one of your backs. We would have loved to have put on Faf (de Klerk) earlier but because of the injury we had to keep him back.”
Nienaber reiterated that it was nowhere near a performance that the Boks could rest their laurels on.
“I think there is still a lot to build on. It was still not a polished performance and while the setpiece functioned well, there were hiccups there as well.”
Captain Siya Kolisi said the team felt the pressure and needed to put in a performance to make their fans proud.
“We had so much to play for as a team, so many people had things to say, and people love to have opinions, and we love that they have those opinions because we know they care. We had a plan all along and we started treating this as a final. Wales are a strong team and to win and make Eben (Etzebeth) and Bongi (Mbonambi)‘s milestone special. I’m grateful for how wonderful they were this week, they didn’t make it about themselves, and that’s what makes this such an amazing team.”
The Boks will now regroup and check on the recovery of players such as Duane Vermeulen and Cobus Reinach before finalising their squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. — SuperSport.com.
Online Reporter