Ken Borland

Q: There was a massive impact from the Springbok bench in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions, compared to the first match; how did you guys manage that?

LdJ – I think first of all, being injured for so long, it’s just a massive privilege to be part of this series and I was very happy to have the opportunity to get on the field. As forwards, we worked really hard on the fundamentals and our attitude, especially at the set-pieces. And we had six forwards on the bench so we were able to sustain the energy level of the starters and, if possible, maybe even try and raise it. We were obviously all disappointed in what happened in the first Test, maybe that was due to a bit of rustiness. But for us, the second Test was our last chance to show what we can do and we took it really personally. And it was not just the bench that did that. We were playing for our families and our country, those who are less-privileged than us. So that really fired us up, and not just the players – the coaches, the management, everyone. It was about more than ourselves, we were keeping each other accountable and that was driving our standards. The forwards responded well to the challenges we faced, standards were set and there were areas we improved on. We maybe started a bit slow, but we really improved as the game went on. Hopefully we can carry that same energy into the deciding Test, and we still have to raise the bar higher and set higher standards.

Q: The Springboks must also be very happy with their defence, having conceded just one try in the first two Tests?

LdJ – There are always areas we can improve but we have an exceptional defence coach in Jacques Nienaber. He is never satisfied and he makes sure we aren’t either. So we have had good results in the defence, but there are definitely areas where we can still make small improvements and get even better. Across our whole game there were things we did well and things that we didn’t do so well. So we are looking to improve all aspects of our performance in the third Test, even the areas we did well in.

Q: The second Test was a ferocious game, was there a bit more niggle than usual?

LdJ – There was a little more niggle than usual but that was due to the magnitude of the game. The Lions also have very proud, world-class players. But I think the match was even bigger for us because we knew that if we lose, then we’re done for the series.

Q: So what can we expect from the third Test against a new-look Lions team?

LdJ – It’s going to be like a final for both teams. We are feeling much more comfortable after getting the win, but we know the job is not finished yet. We know we must raise our standards still further to get the final result we want. As I said, the Lions are a world-class team and we know that we have to be at our best, we know that we will absolutely have to give 100% of what we can give. The good thing is we know a lot of their players and we have done enough homework, everyone is ready, and we have to be able to adapt. It’s a must-win game for us and we can fall back on previous situations we’ve been in like the World Cup. When we are under pressure, we can say that we were there before and we came through. The Lions are all world-class players, but the focus is on ourselves and our week’s preparation. We have to make sure our system is functioning at 100% and when you see the impact the bench makes then you know that we are all on the same quality level. The Lions’ changes won’t change a lot in our preparation.

Q: Having lost the first Test in a three-match series, is the pressure now not squarely on the Springboks heading into Saturday’s second Test?

RE – Well if we win this one then the Lions must win the last one. At the World Cup, we lost to the All Blacks and we had to win our next six matches. But we are definitely the team under pressure. We were very focused last week, trying to regain the positive vibe from the World Cup and we did not say too much. The Lions were a bit the opposite. I think this week has been a bit different, our backs are against the wall. Fortunately we only have the one big injury to Ox Nche. We were always going to be a bit underdone because the second Test against Georgia was cancelled. I think with another game behind us now and a 6/2 split on the bench, we will have the wind to go the full 80 minutes. We still have the bulk of the 30 players who won the World Cup available, but in saying that, the Lions have shown they have a really competitive squad, their pack has got grunt, their backs have vision and attacking skill, and there are good touches all over that team.

Q: How tough were your preparations for the first Test with all the Covid cases?

RE – It was important how we integrated the players coming back because they were returning one or two at a time as they were released from isolation; 70-80% of the players we were happy with, but 20-30% needed really good management. Plus we had our defence and attack coaches unavailable. Because the guys who were positive had to spend seven days in their hotel rooms we lost one week of training and one warm-up match. It was disruptive but many coaches have had to go through that in the last 18 months. Even though you don’t go totally to pieces and lose shape in a week, some players just slotted in but others needed more time to get their engines going. We definitely have to manage the mental wellbeing and welfare of our players. The Lions are the big thing for us this season, but from the next weekend after the series we have two Tests against Argentina and then eight weeks in Australasia, three weeks off and then the end-of-year tour to Europe.

Q: What did you make of the British and Irish Lions’ objection to South African Marius Jonker being the TMO?

RE – It’s a difficult one and I was a bit baffled when Marius was appointed, but it could not be helped due to Covid. We are close friends but I made a point of not phoning him before the match because being appointed so suddenly must have been a tough thing for him. But for the Lions to point out that he is South African did not sit well with me. When New Zealand and Australia played each other last year in the Rugby Championship, they had referees from the host country, that’s the way it is with Covid.

If Ben O’Keeffe does not give us a decision we want on Saturday, we would never say it’s because he’s a New Zealander and Warren Gatland also comes from New Zealand. I learnt when I was younger and said a bit too much about referees, it comes back to bite you.

Q: You have posted a few clips to social media of decisions you felt went against you, has the series now become a battle in the media almost as much as on the field?

RE – I’ve also learnt that if you talk in the media too much it also tends to backfire on you. But then Warren Gatland – who is a great guy – spoke a lot about Marius Jonker last week, which was weird going into a Test. We would never say Warren Gatland is a New Zealander and the referee is one as well. The referee has only got one pair of eyes, but if you are analysing things he is supposed to see then you are still upholding his integrity.

Q: On those social media tweets, are you Jaco Johan and why did you go public with the clips?

RE – I’m not Jaco Johan but I do follow him, he’s a big supporter of the Springboks and he feeds us good clips. He’s a really funny guy and I enjoy what he does, he’s often spot-on, like other guys I have followed and retweeted like SquidgeRugby. I just retweeted two or three of his really accurate tweets and sent two of my own tweets. The one was because our medical department and the BokSmart safety programme they run, tells us that the way Cheslin Kolbe was just picked up off the ground when he could have had a serious injury was very dangerous. We teach our primary school players that’s not how you treat players, you leave the guy on the ground. I wouldn’t want our Springboks to be picking up every Lions player that’s lying on the ground.

Q: If you were unhappy with the outcome of the Test, did you complain through the official channels?

RE – No, the Lions deserved to win. We tried to go through official channels on Sunday with some queries about decisions, we sent through clips, but we only got an answer from WorldRugby on Tuesday morning. So that’s disruptive when there are things you are trying to rectify and you want guidance on things you can fix. They said the officiating was the same as in the Six Nations. But we only had one training session left by the time they got back to us, we might still be able to incorporate a couple of things.

Q:This week former England and British and Irish Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward, in his column for the Daily Mail said you should “butt out” because you are “taking over again” and the “confusion at the top and a lack of demarcation between the roles of director of rugby … and … national team coach … is killing the Springboks”. What do you think of those comments?

RE – “I’m not sure Clive Woodward is so important in South Africa, but Jacques Nienaber and I are great mates, we’ve worked a lot together since our days in the military back in 1990. I’m the water-carrier now, so he’s got a higher rank than me now, that makes him my boss at the moment. If we had scored that try in the 71^st minute then people would say the relationship is working perfectly. Jacques’ job is the coaching, my job is to get the structure right, make sure we are given a fair chance, get through the Covid protocols and make sure players are available. I also need to inform people what is going on. And I help with the coaching plan and I carry water. The important thing is that all the players are now back on the park and training every day this week.

Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am smashing opposite number Elliot Daly to the deck was one of the highlights of the first Test against the British and Irish Lions and the Sharks captain said it was a deliberate statement to lay the platform for the physicality the home side were going to bring.

It worked a charm in the first half as the dominant Springboks controlled the game and racked up a 12-3 halftime lead. The Springboks’ intensity dropped off markedly in the second half, however, as the Lions took a firm grip on the match through a precise kicking game and their rolling maul.

“That tackle was quite intentional, I wanted to set the standards, to show the step-up in physicality we were going to bring. I wanted to show that as a team we have a great defensive mindset. This weekend we have another physical battle to take on. But we know there will also be a lot of contestable kicks, it’s always an aerial battle in Test rugby and it’s an area we’ve worked really hard on.

“We know how important preparation is and unfortunately we were disrupted before the first Test and we had a feeling that it might bite us at the back end. Unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted, but I think we still played with a lot of energy. We managed to play until the last minute and it was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to convert our chances,” Am said.

The Lions were certainly not expected to use the Springboks’ own preferred tactics against them in the second half, with most pundits predicting they would try and scuttle the ball into the wide channels. Am acknowledged that the Springboks are going to have to adapt better on the field because the tourists have surprisingly made three changes to their starting line-up, which may or may not indicate a change in plan by the Lions.

“The Lions had different styles of players on in the first and second halves and it’s up to us to just try and counter whatever they bring to us. We don’t know their game-plans, but we have to be good at adapting on the field.

“Our system means we always try and cover the whole field and from 2018 we’ve been working on using the aerial battle as a great opportunity to get possession. We expect changes to their plan due to the changes in personnel, we have prepared for that and I’m sure we can adapt on the field,” Am said.

Jasper Wiese will now be the man the Springboks turn to to wear the No.8 jersey and try and make up for the much-mourned absence of Duane Vermeulen, while the much-criticised replacement of prop Ox Nche for the second half of the first Test against the British and Irish Lions has now officially been confirmed as being due to injury.

Nche, who held his own against highly-rated Lions tighthead Tadhg Furlong and was typically impactful in open play, will sadly miss the second Test on Saturday due to a neck injury he picked up towards the end of the first half. It has forced a rejigging of the Springboks’ front-row plans, with Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe now the starting props. Trevor Nyakane, who also did well last weekend, will now cover loosehead from the bench, with Vincent Koch brought in as the tighthead reserve.

But scrummaging was not the Springboks’ major issue in the first Test defeat. In the second half they were exposed in the aerial battle and there was little explosive gainline work either. Wiese, who has been a superb offensive ball-carrier for Leicester Tigers, will hopefully be able to bring some improvement in both problem areas.

“Jasper has been part of our plans and he could form a nice combination with Kwagga Smith coming off the bench too and able to play to his strengths. His main role will be the same as Kwagga’s last week – to get and stop momentum and he was Player 24 last weekend. He’ll have another week of preparation now to get used to how we do things.

“He did very well in the Premiership, his carries were so dominant. Tactically I was probably not sharp enough last weekend to protect Kwagga on the high balls, he was hung out to dry a bit. So we have changed things around there and we want to see from Jasper what got him into the squad. We just needed to improve on how we handled the contestable kicks in the second half,” Nienaber said at the team announcement on Monday.

Smith and Marco van Staden both coming off the bench are certainly two high-energy players and the Springboks have returned to the 6/2 split on the replacements bench they used so successfully in winning the World Cup. That makes Damian Willemse the key backline substitute, fulfilling the role of the veteran Francois Steyn in Japan in 2019.

“Damian has participated in all of the warm-up games and has had time at 12, 15 and 10, similar to what Frans Steyn gave us. He’s versatile and we’ve introduced him into the various roles. We’re comfortable that he can slot into all three of centre, fullback and flyhalf. We’re comfortable the backs can now all handle a full 80 minutes, after a couple of guys had been in isolation for 10 days before the first Test.

“We knew it was going to be tough last week, which is why we didn’t go for the 6/2 split, guys had just not been exposed enough to training, someone like Handre Pollard started cramping. Now they have all been exposed to high-intensity rugby, they are topped up and the muscle memory will still be there having dropped off after isolation,” Nienaber said.

Springbok team: Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handré Pollard (vice-captain), Faf de Klerk, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff. Bench – Malcolm Marx, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Koch, Lood de Jager, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Herschel Jantjies, Damian Willemse.