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The percentage improvement Wales need to make to beat the Boks

By PA
(Photo by Dan Mullan/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Dan Biggar says Wales require a “10-15 per cent” improvement in their quest for a Test series-levelling victory over South Africa on Saturday.

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And Wales captain Biggar also poured cold water on Sir Gareth Edwards’ suggestion that the Springboks have disrespected the tourists with their second Test team selection.

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has made 14 changes from the line-up that edged past Wales 32-29 in a thrilling series opener last weekend, with six uncapped players featuring in his match-day 23.

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Nienaber’s line-up contains a total of 393 caps, but 321 of those Test appearances are shared by just five players in lock Eben Etzebeth, fly-half Handre Pollard, centre Jesse Kriel, prop Trevor Nyakane and flanker Pieter-Steph Du Toit.

Biggar, though, has no doubt about Wales’ degree of difficulty in Bloemfontein as they target a first win against the Springboks on South African soil.

“We put on a really good show last week and in my opinion we are going to have to improve 10-15 per cent to get anything out of Saturday,” he said.

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“I know the side we played last weekend are renowned, experienced, World Cup winners and the rest of that, but this team, you have got Pollard at 10 and some real exciting form players.

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“When I saw that they had made 14 changes, I was thinking ‘who are they going to bring in’? But then you look at the team sheet and I don’t expect this to be anything other than an incredibly tough game.

“We didn’t surprise ourselves because we believed in what we were doing, but the (first Test) performance has given us a real boost going into this weekend and hopefully a decider in a week’s time.

“We had a real edge to us and we make no apologies for that. We tried to get amongst South Africa, under their skin a little bit and turn it into a bit of a scrap as well.

“We are well aware that if you just gift them everything, roll over and be whiter than white, then you are going to come off second-best quite comfortably.”

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World Cup winner Pollard’s return, fresh from helping Montpellier win the French Top 14 title, is a key development.

Former world player of the year Du Toit is also back, while Northampton star Biggar knows all about Harlequins centre Andre Esterhuizen, who partners Jesse Kriel in midfield.

Biggar added: “He (Pollard) does the basics very well, settles the team down and gives them a focal point.

“There is a notable difference when he doesn’t play and that is almost the biggest compliment you can give him, really.

“When you play against him, you have to be very good and try to keep your error-rate down because he is the type of player who punishes errors.

“And 12 (Esterhuizen) has been the form player in the Premiership. They have managed to swap a World Cup winner and a brilliant player in (Damian) De Allende with Esterhuizen coming in. It certainly doesn’t weaken them.

“Quins play with quite a lot of passes and continuity, moving the ball quite a lot, but what they have got with him is a guy who can get them over the gain-line, which makes life easier however you want to play.

“When you put good players together under a very good coaching set-up, which South Africa have, then they are going to be pretty organised and pretty switched on.

“Admittedly, it was disappointing the way it (first Test) came to an end for us, but I think with the performance we produced, it was quite easy to get back on the horse.

“The boys have been in good spirits and really looking forward to this weekend to go one better.”

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

34 Go to comments
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