Boks eye first win under Coetzee

With a number of new faces in the Springbok team as well as new leadership, South African rugby fans will be hoping that the national side produce a good performance. While it will be too early to get a full understanding of how Coetzee’s Boks will play, Strauss says a winning start in a priority.

“It feels like the start of a new journey so we definitely want to set a marker down and set a standard for ourselves. A win would be very important for us but it’s more about the way we play and the way forward,” the Bok skipper said.

Having spent just two weeks together, Coetzee was confident that he’d had enough time with his players to prepare for the first Test. While it would be hard to imagine the Springboks playing an overly expansive game, Strauss insists that their structures will allow for free-flowing rugby.

“It’s all about decision making, it’s really important at this level. But I think it’s even more important that you give guys options on the field. He (Coetzee) has put a structure in place where there will be options so it will all come down to making the right decisions at the right time, playing into space and firstly identifying where that space is,” Strauss said.

On a personal note, Strauss gears up to captain the Springboks for the first time. Having captained both the Cheetahs and Bulls, the burly hooker was feeling relaxed ahead of the Test despite the added responsibility.

“I’m feeling quite calm, I’m going to prepare the same as I would for every other Test. I’m looking forward to the game; I know it’s going to be a very tough one. But I’m very calm about the added responsibility,” the captain said.

“The amount of leaders in the squad has helped quite a lot. I haven’t had to do that much, other than make sure we are on par with everyone knowing the calls, what we want to do and how we want to play. I just need to be that medium between the coach and players.”

Strauss will be assisted by the experienced Francois Louw and Pat Lambie in terms of decision making, while Beast Mtawarira is also one of the most experienced players in the side. Lambie will call the shots in the backline and is vice-captain of the side and Strauss rates the Cell C Sharks flyhalf highly.

“It’s always important for the forwards to set a good platform, especially at this level. It’s very important to get quality ball. I think a guy like Pat Lambie was born with a mature head on his shoulders; he’s a very capable leader and will definitely make good decisions at the back. He’ll keep the guys calm and give good direction at the back.”

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