SA Rugby
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber praised the attitude of his players following a convincing improvement against the British & Irish Lions at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
The Springboks won 27-9, after Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am scoring second-half tries, and Handre Pollard added 17 points with the boot.
Nienaber said the Boks also won all the important scraps in a highly physical and tough Test.
He said the way players responded after last week’s defeat, and how they took responsibility to improve, made his job easy.
“The players in our leadership group are very experienced, and we are in a fortunate position as coaches to have so many of them,” Nienaber said.
He said they were also overwhelmed by the support shown by the Bok supporters, many of whom showed up outside the team hotel earlier in the day and lined the route to the stadium.
“The support was amazing, we had so many people outside our hotel from early in the afternoon,” said the Bok coach.
The Bok coach said the players were improving, as they are getting proper training time together, following the Covid19-forced isolation while in Johannesburg.
“We are still growing as a group,” said Nienaber.
The deciding match of the British and Irish Lions series takes place at the Cape Town Stadium next Saturday.
