Pressure into points: Springboks acknowledge finishing struggles ahead of France battle | Sport

Deon Davids. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)

• Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids admits they need to do better with the opportunities that come their way when they face France in Marseilles on Saturday.
• The Springboks have been guilty of playing dominant rugby, but not getting the relevant rewards from a points perspective.
• Springbok prop Frans Malherbe said they need to focus on what they need to do against France and not how the World Cup pools will pan out.

In Marseille

Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said the conversion of opportunities is something they’ve discussed extensively ahead of Saturday’s Test against France in Marseilles.

The Boks may have lost 19-16 against Ireland in Dublin last week, but the game also spoke volumes of SA’s inability to convert their opportunities into points.

They camped in Ireland’s 22 for large parts of the game, but didn’t have the points to show for their endeavour.

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It was the same case against the All Blacks in both home Rugby Championship Tests this year and in the 25-17 loss to the Wallabies in Adelaide where the Boks couldn’t make the most of their possession and territorial dominance.

Davids said they’ve discussed the issue at length and they hope to be better in that department on Saturday.

“We had an extensive talk about that and it’s not just about the talk, but it’s about understanding how the players think and how we think in those circumstances,” Davids said.

“It’s also about understanding how we think about the identification and communication of opportunities.

“It is a concern and something that we talk about and hopefully we will get it right. We’ve also given players opportunities in different positions with the mindset of wanting to win games and get experience at the same time.

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“We’ve seen the players who can recognise, create and finish those opportunities and we’ve seen those areas that need to be worked on.”

Springbok tighthead prop Frans Malherbe has been at the heart of the opportunity creation through his power scrumming and lineout maul work.

He’s done everything that’s asked of him and it will be expected of him to give the Bok backs a platform against a team that hasn’t lost in 11 matches.

There’s also the bigger carrot of looking ahead to next year’s World Cup in France where the Boks, in the event of getting out of their group, will meet one of France or New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

Malherbe, ever the straight-shooter, kept to the present and what needs to be done to control its outcomes on Saturday.

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“I personally don’t try to look too far forward because it is important to focus on the job at hand now,” Malherbe said.

“I think after that, we’ll have a bit more answers on this kind of matter in terms of looking towards the future.

“Our main responsibility is to focus on the issue at hand of playing.”

Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time) on Saturday.

Springbok team:

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Kwagga Smith 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Khanyiso Tshwaku is in Marseille and Toulon following the Springboks on their year-end tour.