Jake White hints Peter de Villiers might call first string for home match for Tri Nations - Rugby
South Africa Springboks’ former World Cup winning coach, Jake White, has alluded that the current coach, Peter de Villiers, will recall his first choice players for the home games of the 2011 Tri-Nations tournament.
Following the announcement by SARU that 21 of their players will miss out the away leg matches of the 2011 Tri Nations competition due to injuries, it was widely believed that South Africa Rugby Union (SARU) are reapplying the strategy that White used before
Springboks’ 2007 Rugby World Cup (RWC) campaign.
In 2007, White sent his second string players to play in the 2007 Tri Nation. He used the strategy to keep his first squad fresh for the 2007 RWC, which later worked, as Springboks became the 2007 RWC champions.
White added that by utilising this strategy, De Villiers will give some playing time to his players to keep them fresh. He further added, that in order to completely grasp the mindset of the SARU management and the coaching staff, one needs to focus on different
factors.
South Africa is placed in a relatively tough Pool D. They have to play their opening pressure game against Wales, which after a two days break will be followed by their second pool match against the Fiji. Springboks will then play their third match against
Namibia after a five days break and play their last game against Tonga.
White added, "They (Springboks) have got Samoa and Fiji, two really tough teams that we played in the last World up, so they probably feel that if they don't play their best team for the first two games of the Tri Nations that they then therefore get two
Tests to prepare for three tough games at the World Cup."
White further commented that unlike the previous world cups, the break period between the Tri Nations and RWC is very short. He added that both Wallabies and Springboks have a different orientation for their build up for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
White added that the Wallabies will play their best available players in the Tri Nations to develop some sort of winning combination and give momentum to the side. Whereas, Springboks will try to rest their experienced and relatively older players and use
them in the final two home games of the Tri Nations so that they remain sharp for the crunch RWC pool matches.
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