Friday 14 November 2014 10:23, UK
While England's and South Africa's forwards will be tearing into each other at Twickenham on Saturday, former Springbok Thinus Delport says that diminutive scrum-half Danny Care is the man South Africa need to be wary of.
Care will win his 50th cap for England when they take on the Springboks in a must-win game for both sides. After a superb start, England were disappointing in their loss to New Zealand last weekend where the 24-21 score flattered the hosts and does not tell the full story of New Zealand’s superiority – especially in the second half.
England coach Stuart Lancaster has made just the one change with Anthony Watson making his first start on the wing after his Bath team mate Semesa Rokoduguni was ruled out with a thigh injury, and England will be hoping to break their 11-match losing run against the Springboks.
South Africa were stunned by the brains and brawn of Ireland and fell to a 29-15 loss at the hands of Joe Schmidt’s men. Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has rung the changes with Cobus Reinach and Patrick Lambie in at No 9 and 10 respectively, Schalk Burger in on the flank, JP Pietersen on the wing and Adrian Strauss starts at hooker.
And Delport believes that while the battle between the two sets of forwards is going to be massive, England’s half-centurion is the man the Springboks have to watch.
“England have a very strong pack and are technically very proficient when it comes to the set-pieces,” Delport told skysports.com
Their strengths are very similar to South Africa’s – they have got big forward runners who are very aggressive and enjoy the physical battle.
“But it is Danny Care who South Africa really need to watch. He has caused South Africa plenty of problems before in terms of the way he raises the intensity of the game - quick taps from penalties - and they will need to be very wary of his quick reactions.”
Different conditions
Delport was disappointed with South Africa’s loss to Ireland but believes the lessons they would have learnt will hold them in good stead against England on Saturday.
“Expectations were high and the Springboks failed to deliver on the day,” added Delport who also played for Gloucester and Worcester in the English Premiership.
“However it is something that they have to get over really quickly and realise that playing in the northern hemisphere is different to playing in the southern hemisphere.
“The conditions are different and the teams that they will come up against are play in a different way too. Ireland did really well in terms of doing their homework on the Boks and they had the physical edge on the day.
“South Africa would have worked a lot on the mental aspects of the game ahead of England; they really need to put that Ireland loss behind them as quickly as possible and go back to the way we know they can play. They need to be a lot more clinical and have to cut down on the unforced errors. It’s that mental application that is going to critical and they will be working hard on that aspect.
“Against Ireland, South Africa’s lineout went very well but they battled to get the transition from the lineout to the driving maul going and Ireland were really smart in defending that. This is not something that the Springboks have encountered before and they would have worked hard on counter-acting that this week. It’s about getting a bit more forward momentum, get more aggressive going forward and force the get the opposition non-jumpers to attach as quickly as possible so the maul is formed.”
Tactical nous
Delport is surprised that Meyer has opted for the five changes but believes that South Africa’s tactical kicking will play a huge part in the outcome of this game.
He added: “They key change for me is Pat Lambie in at fly-half in place of Handre Pollard. What Lambie brings is a better tactical kicking game which leads to a better control of the game. I think that South Africa can put England’s back three under pressure if they get their tactical kicking right.
“Cobus Reinach’s tactical kicking is probably not as accurate as he would like but he brings a lot of pace to the game; he is quick around the rucks and offers very quick service, however his tactical kicking is going to be under scrutiny here.
“JP Pietersen’s inclusion is crucial too – he is a class player and with the emphasis more on the kicking game in the northern hemisphere, his contribution could be vital. He has played at fullback before and is very good under the high ball and can be devastating on the counter attack.
“South Africa are also going into this game with two openside flankers in Schalk Burger and Marcell Coetzee. I think that was one area where Ireland really caused South Africa problems and they will want to sort that out and look to create quick ball to attack from.
“A lot of players will be wanting to create a bit of a Boklash! Guys like Eben Etsebeth will be hurting after last week’s performance and he is really going to go toe-to-toe with England’s big forwards.
“Ireland was a set-back but I am confident that South Africa can win this game.”
Watch the QBE Autumn International between England v South Africa live on Saturday. Coverage from Twickenham starts at 2pm, Sky Sports 1HD
