The absence of SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus from the South African A camp forward of their match against Munster in Cork on Thursday won’t have an hostile impact on the squad.
Erasmus was supposed to help SA A head coach Mzwandile Stick, however as a substitute opted to remain in France with the Springbok squad forward of their Test on the weekend.
ALSO READ: Boks come first explains Stick about shock SA A picks for Munster match
“The main priority is the Springboks and with the challenges that we had in the game (against Ireland), I think Rassie felt he needed to be in the Springbok camp in France to make sure that we turn things around,” defined Stick.
“We had been actually near profitable against Ireland and it was a really powerful sport, however there are lots of work-ons that must be addressed. So I feel Rassie felt like he wanted to remain behind.
“It would have been nice to have him here in the camp with his experience and we know the impact that he brings. But I think we have got the coaches around us who can do the job.”
ALSO READ: Boks’ probability to search out key to unlock in-form France
Stick continued: “We have Bafana (Nhleko) who may be very skilled, having managed the Junior Springbok team, whereas Joey Mongalo who has been round Super Rugby groups and is presently on the Sharks, and we now have Wian (du Preez) as our forwards coach.
“He has been here before, played at Munster for a number of years and understands the conditions and people. So I believe the guys that we have in the camp are the right people for the job. It is going to be a massive challenge for us and it is a great opportunity for all of us as coaches to lead this team.”
Goal is to win
Despite the difficulties of getting a big group of gamers, with lots of them having not performed a lot collectively and with them having solely arrived in Ireland earlier this week, Stick admits that their essential objective is to win.
“It is not a secret. One of our strategic goals in the Springbok environment is always to win. We want to win, we are passionate about the game and we want to make our country proud. So the main goal for me in these games is to win and the boys are all aligned with that,” mentioned Stick.
“This can also be a chance for these gamers. Some of them have been by way of powerful occasions, whereas we now have a great combination of kids coming by way of and skilled guys like Goose (Johan Goosen) and Cornal (Hendricks) who’ve been out of the nationwide setup for some time.
“I am so excited to see what this team can bring to the table. Guys like Suleiman (Hartzenberg) on the wing and (Henco) van Wyk at centre are brilliant youngsters, while Aphelele Fassi has been craving to get an opportunity. So I am just excited for them to get that opportunity and to see some old faces in the mix.”
Stick admits that the team will head into the Munster conflict undercooked, however they’ll have a easy plan to comply with and may simply deal with the sport.
“We know that we don’t have the privilege of having enough time to prepare, so the key thing for us as coaches is to give the players guidance and make sure they don’t stress too much about the details,” defined Stick.
“We just want them to make sure that they express themselves and give everything that they can on the day. We know we won’t get it 100% right. The most important thing for me is that they pitch up and bring a lot of energy because it is going to be a tough game.”
Source link
