JP lapping up Bok energy 08 November By Mike Greenaway Cardiff – Not for the faint at heart. That is the how the Welsh rugby camp are anticipating events at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday when the champions of the northern hemisphere go up against the runners-up in the Rugby Championship, the “mighty” Springboks, who are also second only to the All Blacks in the world rankings. The word mighty is again prefixing the word Springboks in this part of the world. There is a deep respect for the way the Boks are evolving under Heyneke Meyer, and rugby-mad Wales is whipping itself into a frenzy over this much-hyped showdown. Wales have won the Six Nations two years in a row and in their last match at the Millennium Stadium, in March, they smashed their old enemy England 30-3 to defend their title. A few months later, 16 Welshmen were picked to tour Australia with the Lions, 10 of whom started in the hammering of the Wallabies in the series-clinching third Test in Sydney. The Red Dragons also provided the captain in Sam Warburton and coaches in Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards. No wonder there is genuine belief in the Welsh valleys that their rugby is lifting off into a bright new era. Now the Welsh players are hungry for a southern-hemisphere scalp in the red jerseys of Wales. “The Springboks are the most physical side in world rugby – every time I play them, I battle to get out of bed the next day,” Warburton said, while assistant coach Edwards said there will be a “gladiatorial element to this game”. “If you like your rugby rough and tough, with a lot of skill thrown in, then don’t miss this match because it will be no place for the faint of heart,” Edwards said. “We have to muscle up against these boys. We practice our tackling a lot, but we have been concentrating on it more than ever this week.” Edwards was also the Lions assistant coach in the 2009 series in South Africa and he said that Springbok team was “probably the best team I have ever coached against, although there have been some great New Zealand sides”. The Boks beat the All Blacks three times that year. “This is the best Bok team I have seen since,” he added. “Heyneke Meyer has done a great job. So we know what we are up against.” The Springbok players concur with Edwards, notably experienced players that have returned to the fold such as Jaque Fourie and JP Pietersen. Pietersen said: “Since joining the Bok camp from a year in Japan I have noticed a real buzz amongst the players. Jaque said the same thing (after two years in exile). We feel like little boys again. It is like making our debuts all over again. “Jaque and I know we have to prove ourselves once more in this set-up. We have to bring our A-game against Wales. Heyneke expects nothing less and we know this is an opportunity he is giving us to show we still have what it takes. “It feels great to be part of this team. Heyneke has created a winning culture and structure, and it’s been amazing to experience that energy these past few days. We know it’s going to be tough against a very motivated and talented Welsh team, but we can’t wait for Saturday.” TEAMS Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (captain), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins. Bench: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 James Hook, 23 Ashley Beck. Springboks: 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Flip van der Merwe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira. Bench: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 JJ Engelbrecht, 23 Willie le Roux. Kickoff: 7.30pm (SA time). Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland). TV: SS1/SS HD1.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:09:33 +0000
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