Boks need enforcers back - Beast
The Springboks will play three Tests against France in South Africa next month.
Listen to the full interview here, or read our story below.
The Boks will need to bounce back from a disastrous 2016 season.
Veteran loosehead prop, Tendai Mtawarira, feels that the Boks badly need more experience in their squad this year.
"The series against France is going to be a huge opportunity for us to put last year to bed. I think the only way you do that is by moving on and playing well against the French. It means winning the series. I hope we get some experience that we need in the team from overseas. I am thinking of guys like Duane Vermeulen, Bismarck du Plessis and Marcell Coetzee. Those guys can really contribute to the Springbok cause. Those are the guys we missed last year. I am really excited to see what the squad is going to look like, because if we have some enforcers back, it is going to make a big difference," Mtawarira said.
The draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup was made today and the Boks are in Pool B along with both New Zealand and Italy. Mtawarira feels there is time for improvement ahead of the showpiece in Japan.
"We can do nothing about the draw. It is what has happened and it will be a challenge. We will have to prepare as best we can and we do have two years to prepare. So there is still lots of time. I certainly feel that we can win in our Pool and do well," Mtawarira added.
Brendan Venter recently joined the Springboks as defence coach and Mtawarira believes this should serve as a major positive for the Boks going forward.
"I think having a guy like Brendan Venter involved is going to make a huge difference. I have worked with Brendan at the Sharks. He was there in 2013 and we ended up winning the Currie Cup. He is the type of guy who brings energy and direction. He also knows the game very well and simplifies things. Rugby in the end is a simple game and Brendan is the type of guy who comes in and removes all the complicated stuff. He makes it nice and simple and players understand him. I think last year there was confusion. I think we were getting too many different ideas from different coaches. I think now it is one message coming from one person and you don't go on the field without clarity," Mtawarira said.
Mtawarira is currently focused on Super Rugby with the Cell C Sharks and is enjoying the 2017 campaign very much.
"This season has been really great. I think it has been one of the best enviroments I have worked under at the Sharks. It is my 11th year of Super Rugby this year and so I have seen a few coaches come and go. The current set-up is one of the best and I think it is because Robert du Preez is a Sharks man through and through. You know he played for the Sharks and understands the culture. He came in and just brought us back to who we are. I think over the last of couple of years we had lost our identity as the Sharks. So he came in and really shook the system and really set standards and goals from the beginning. We had a camp at Pumula where everybody spoke. The players had a chance to say what they feel. I think now at this stage of the season we are seeing those things coming through. All those things that we spoke about before the season. You can see this in the belief and the culture within the team. It is really great. I think everybody wants to keep on improving. I think now is the time for us to make a big step up. We want to finish strong and be in the play-offs," Mtawarira concluded.
Veteran loosehead prop, Tendai Mtawarira, feels that the Boks badly need more experience in their squad this year.
"The series against France is going to be a huge opportunity for us to put last year to bed. I think the only way you do that is by moving on and playing well against the French. It means winning the series. I hope we get some experience that we need in the team from overseas. I am thinking of guys like Duane Vermeulen, Bismarck du Plessis and Marcell Coetzee. Those guys can really contribute to the Springbok cause. Those are the guys we missed last year. I am really excited to see what the squad is going to look like, because if we have some enforcers back, it is going to make a big difference," Mtawarira said.
The draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup was made today and the Boks are in Pool B along with both New Zealand and Italy. Mtawarira feels there is time for improvement ahead of the showpiece in Japan.
"We can do nothing about the draw. It is what has happened and it will be a challenge. We will have to prepare as best we can and we do have two years to prepare. So there is still lots of time. I certainly feel that we can win in our Pool and do well," Mtawarira added.
Brendan Venter recently joined the Springboks as defence coach and Mtawarira believes this should serve as a major positive for the Boks going forward.
"I think having a guy like Brendan Venter involved is going to make a huge difference. I have worked with Brendan at the Sharks. He was there in 2013 and we ended up winning the Currie Cup. He is the type of guy who brings energy and direction. He also knows the game very well and simplifies things. Rugby in the end is a simple game and Brendan is the type of guy who comes in and removes all the complicated stuff. He makes it nice and simple and players understand him. I think last year there was confusion. I think we were getting too many different ideas from different coaches. I think now it is one message coming from one person and you don't go on the field without clarity," Mtawarira said.
Mtawarira is currently focused on Super Rugby with the Cell C Sharks and is enjoying the 2017 campaign very much.
"This season has been really great. I think it has been one of the best enviroments I have worked under at the Sharks. It is my 11th year of Super Rugby this year and so I have seen a few coaches come and go. The current set-up is one of the best and I think it is because Robert du Preez is a Sharks man through and through. You know he played for the Sharks and understands the culture. He came in and just brought us back to who we are. I think over the last of couple of years we had lost our identity as the Sharks. So he came in and really shook the system and really set standards and goals from the beginning. We had a camp at Pumula where everybody spoke. The players had a chance to say what they feel. I think now at this stage of the season we are seeing those things coming through. All those things that we spoke about before the season. You can see this in the belief and the culture within the team. It is really great. I think everybody wants to keep on improving. I think now is the time for us to make a big step up. We want to finish strong and be in the play-offs," Mtawarira concluded.
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