The Springbok lineout, led by Malcolm Marx, needs drastic improvement going into the second All Blacks Test in Wellington.
The Springbok lineout has been misfiring of late, and veteran hooker Malcolm Marx admitted that he had to accept a lot of that responsibility, as the reigning world champions aim for a big improvement in their second Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
The Bok lineout was a mess during their 24-17 defeat to the hosts at their fortress Eden Park over the past weekend, playing a big role in the defeat, while it was also a shambles during their 38-22 loss against the Wallabies at Ellis Park last month.
Asked about where things have been going wrong, Marx was candid in explaining his own struggles, while also praising the All Blacks lineout, during the Bok team announcement press conference on Monday.
“I think I’ve got to take some form of responsibility. I have to make sure I get the ball in right and getting it in the right areas where it’s been called,” explained Marx.
“It’s also down to good contesting at the same time. I think the All Blacks prepped really well, especially on our four man (lineout), and you have to give credit where it is due.
“But for me, I think I need to make a personal step up in making sure that I am a bit more accurate.”
Several changes
The Bok team that was named for the must-win clash on Saturday features seven changes to the starting 15, with a number of inexperienced players stepping in for some of the more experienced heads in the team.
Eben Etzebeth, Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende have all slipped out of the match 23, while Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker and Damian Willemse have replaced them respectively.
De Jager and Willemse have plenty of experience, but the other three are still pretty new in comparison, so it will be interesting to see how they fair against the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Playing under pressure against the best
Coach Rassie Erasmus explained that giving inexperienced players a run in tough conditions away from home was vital in their preparations for the World Cup Down Under in 2027.
“Firstly, I think it would have been paradise if we had won last weekend and still could have made the changes, which was the plan. And after this game we probably only have the year of the World Cup to play away here again,” said Erasmus.
“So the plan was to try win and then give some guys a chance of playing against the top side in the world currently on their home turf. Had we won we might not have made as many changes, but we definitely would have made a few.
“So it’s not really about needing fresh legs, but (more) about giving some of the guys the experience of playing a team like (New Zealand) under pressure, which will hopefully benefit us over the next three years going into the World Cup.”
