Springboks look to repeat Tri-Nations glory
Fresh off of a 55-11 thrashing of Italy, South Africa's national rugby union team, the Springboks, are looking to do something they've never done before: defend a title at the Tri-Nations Cup and win again in 2010.
The Tri-Nations Cup features the three best rugby teams in the world, Australia's Wallabies, South Africa's Springboks and the best team to play rugby, the New Zealand All-Blacks. The All-Blacks have dominated this competition in the past, winning nine of 14 of the tournaments and four straight championships between 2005 and 2008. But last year the Springboks were more than up to the Kiwi challenge, beating them in all three games they played against the All-Blacks to gain the trophy.
While many teams have been using the remaining part of the 2010 international test season to try and assess their teams and make adjustments before the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in New Zealand, Springboks captain John Smit says he's keeping his team firmly focused on the task at hand.
"If we want to go there with the focus on next year we'll miss the plot. We want to go there and focus on things we've built up over the last few Tests," said Smit.
"If we can put those together away from home and come away with a result, then we can say afterwards whether we can use that as building block for next year's World Cup."
Recent form
The Springboks have looked quite good recently, sending a message to a spirited Italian squad that had challenged them. After the no.11 ranked Italian team, complete with a South African coach, put up a fight to lose 29-13 against the Springboks on South African soil, the South Africans came out to send the Italians a message in their next match and beat them 55-11.
Before that they looked even more impressive by beating the winner of the Six Nations Cup, France, by a clear 42-17 margin at home in mid-June. The result sent a message that it was Southern Hemisphere rugby that was still supreme, and the winner of the Tri Nations cup is the de facto leader of the South, at least until next year's World Cup. Prior to that, Wales had fallen to the Springboks.
Only the best get their chances
With a tremendous amount of depth, the Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is using whomever is playing strongest, suggesting there are no safe starting positions heading into the 2010 Tri Nations Series. Players who get injured and fail to recover quickly may find themselves out of the line-up, said de Villiers.
"Look at some of our more senior players. The players are now so competitive, they just cannot afford to get injured or go home for a week," he said. "It's going to be tough (to get back in the team), but the door will never be closed on anyone. But yes, it's going to be tough."
One welcome addition will be Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira, who is now returning to the team after having acquired South African citizenship. Under International Rugby Board rules Mtawarira, who was a Zimbabwean national, was still eligible to play for South Africa based on his residency, but his selection for the team created national controversy in South Africa. Now that he has his citizenship though, he'll be wearing the green and gold again for the Boks, meaning they'll have even more depth to choose from.
"It came as a great plus when we heard he is available again. It leaves us in a great position where we can chose between two great loosehead props. Once again, it's a brilliant position to be in," de Villiers said.
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