CAPE TOWN – Despite suffering a surprising defeat at the hands of Australia last weekend, the Springboks were met with a warm and encouraging reception upon their arrival in Cape Town, reflecting the continued support and high expectations of their fans.
South Africa will aim to put things right and address the mistakes that proved costly in their 22-38 defeat to Australia during the opening match of the Rugby Championship on Saturday at Ellis Park Stadium.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus announced a starting XV featuring ten changes for their second Rugby Championship match against Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday.
Jesse Kriel will lead the side for the second time in a Test, while the team also welcomes back experienced campaigners Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, and Bok centurion Willie le Roux, adding both skill and leadership to the lineup.
Reflecting on the warm reception in Cape Town, experienced centre Damian de Allende noted that the fans have remained supportive and positive, even in the wake of last week’s disappointing loss.
“The reception is better than what I experienced in 2016 when we lost against Ireland in Cape Town,” said de Allende.
“We had people swear at us when we walked to the gym, but this year it has been better, actually – our supporters are a lot more positive, that’s very nice.
“Obviously, we are disappointed about what happened on Saturday. We have let our fans down, but I think it also helps us a lot when we walk to the gym – the fans are a lot more positive.”
The 25-year-old described this week as a positive one, acknowledging the disappointment of last weekend’s results, but expressed confidence in the team’s ability to identify the issues and implement the necessary solutions moving forward.
“This week has been great so far,” he said.
“We know we are nothing without fans, and we also know what we want to do this weekend. We know what went wrong this past weekend, and we know we are going to take the challenge to heart.”
In their bid to correct last week’s mistakes, de Allende highlighted that the Springboks have grown and progressed as a team over the past couple of years, a development he believes will be key in helping them turn things around this week.
Obviously, the first 20 minutes of the test match this past week were incredible,” he said.
“It’s probably some of the best rugby we’ve ever played together. We know what went wrong and how we can fix it.
“We said it as backs, we mustn’t be tense this week, we must still enjoy it. The opportunity is still there – it’s just knowing when to take it and when to control the game a lot better than what we did on the weekend.”
Images: Phando Jikelo.
