Breakdowns an area of focus for Boks ahead of second Wallabies Test

THE SPRINGBOKS are paying special attention to their breakdown play on defence this week to limit the amount of penalties they are giving away, especially after making tackles.

Assistant coach Duane Vermeulen, who described his role as the link between the players and coaches on game day, said even after their comprehensive win over the Wallabies last weekend, there are things they have to fix before the second Test on Saturday.

The Boks will take on Australia in Perth looking to make it a clean sweep in their first two games of the 2024 Rugby Championship. They produced a commanding display in Brisbane on Saturday to win 33-7, but some parts of their game still need sharpening ahead of the duel at the Optus Stadium.

There was no real update from the Bok camp on the injuries to Bongi Mbonambi (back spasms) after he left the field before the half-hour mark, or locks RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje who were both withdrawn before the first Test with niggles.

Head coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his match-day squad today and some changes are expected as the Boks look to improve specific areas of their game plan.

“We were penalised quite a lot at the defensive breakdowns,” Vermeulen said about the high penalty count in this area during the first Test.

“It was five or six penalties for not rolling away and then a yellow card. That is one area we really need to sharpen up in and that has been our focus going into this week.

“Not to give away penalties, not to give away soft moments and we are working hard with Jaco Peyper (the Boks’ laws advisor) and the referees going into this coming game.

“There is still a lot we left out there and hopefully we can keep on improving.”

Vermeulen did not want to comment on the backlash the Aussies are receiving after the record-equalling loss against the Boks but said that they expect their hosts to come back with a bang to try to clinch the second game.

The Wallabies were hit with more injuries after the physical clash, but could also get one of their more experienced props, Taniela Tupou, back. He missed the first Test after his father passed away.

Boks want to improve on Brisbane performance in Perth this weekend - more here: https://t.co/mwlSUxlPyP 🤝#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/2xfvnSvJPV

— Springboks (@Springboks) August 12, 2024

Vermeulen hinted that Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Makazole Mapimpi, the two players who attended the media conference with him, might be in the mix this weekend.

“We have a big squad of 33 players and you want to use all 33. You need the guys on top form to perform when there is an injury, they must have game time.

“There might be a couple of changes, we do’'t know yet. You see these two guys (Mapimpi and Wessels) here and they might be in the mix. But you need game time, you need experience.

“This will be a big one for us. There are still things to work on (from last weekend).

“We left a couple of tries out there. It’s still not the perfect game for us and hopefully we can step it up and bring some extra energy into this coming weekend.

“Surely the Wallabies are in a difficult spot and will come back harder. They will look to give their best performance out there and it will be a difficult game.”