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July 31, 2011

Posted on 07/31/2011

Boks have much to prove


Peter de Villiers will have to pacify angry South African fans in their next match in the Tri-Nations © Getty Images

Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick, writing for the New Zealand Herald, reflects on the Springboks poor showing in the Tri-Nations.

"After a faltering start against Samoa, the Wallabies bounced back last Saturday with a very convincing 39-20 win over a second-rate Springboks side.

"Expect to see a very different Springboks side when these two teams meet in Port Elizabeth in three weeks.

Our victory over the under-strength South Africans in Wellington last night was extremely important for this All Blacks side, but for the Boks, their real test comes in their two home Tri Nations matches, which start against Australia in Durban on August 14 (NZ time).

They were awful for the second test in a row and they have just two games to get it right before the World Cup.

The Springboks have embarked on a different route to the World Cup than Graham Henry's All Blacks. Leaving a stack of players at home for the past two games, allegedly because they are injured, is not how I would lead a team into the biggest event on the rugby calendar."

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