Springboks coach Rudi Straeuli has pinpointed what his team needs to improve before it plays England in the crucial pool C against England on Oct. 18: Everything.
Although South Africa thrashed a poor Uruguay 72-6 on Saturday night, Straeuli made it clear his team was not yet up to standard to face one of the tournament's top favorites.
Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen scored three tries as the Springboks played an attractive running game against a dismal defensive unit.
PHOTO: AP
"We are here to win the World Cup -- we take this competition very seriously," said van der Westhuizen. "This game was ideal, especially for our forwards."
The Springboks used the game as a virtual training session and flyhalf Louis Koen took drop kicks for conversions to up the tempo.
The Springboks scored 36 points in each half and 12 tries to post their best World Cup score. While they achieved it with an attractive brand of rugby, Straeuli was unable to promise the same approach against England.
"It's a totally different game playing against England," he said. Against Uruguay, "we wanted to be positive, we wanted to pick up the tempo. Hopefully that will be possible against England as well [but] it's going to be much tighter game."
Straeuli acknowledges that the Springboks, beaten 53-3 in their previous meeting with England, must improve across the board before this next match.
"We scored 12 tries which everyone enjoyed," he said. "Not having a try against us is very important for us so I'm satisfied.
"Obviously building up to this week there's a lot of other things we want to concentrate on as well. We definitely need a step up in defense and attack and also tactical ploys."
He said his team also needed to work on "handling errors, our structure and timing and support play. When players broke through we weren't there quick enough to recycle."
Straeuli gave debuts to three youngsters Saturday. Danie Rossouw and Jaque Fourie started and scored tries while 20-year-old flyhalf Derick Hougaard replaced Koen late in the game and came close to his own touch down, being deprived on review by the video referee.
Rossouw was impressive as a backrow replacement for injured captain Corne Krige and his size and speed gave the team more penetration than usual this year.
Fourie scored the most exciting try of the match, a 65 meter zig zag to the line after the outstanding De Wet Barry broke through, and Hougaard is pushing the one-dimensional Louis Koen for a place in the team.
"If you look at the players we have in Joost and Corne, they are experienced players but there is a nice youth and energy coming through from the young players," said Straeuli "It's good to blood them. I'm not going to answer the question of who's going to play against England. For that you have to wait until Thursday -- but all of them did well."
Of greatest relief to Straeuli and van der Westhuizen will have been the complete absence of scandal in the air on Saturday.
The senior Springboks spent their first week on Australian soil facing constant questioning over team spirit in the wake of a racism scandal and having to defend their often abrasive style.
"We said during the week we want to show people on the field through our play that there's nothing wrong with our squad," said van der Westhuizen. "We're very positive and we're here to enjoy the World Cup. Especially through our preparation you could see the guys just wanted to play."
Wales 41, Canada 10
Wales endured an early barrage and 10 minutes without skipper Colin Charvis to open its Rugby World Cup campaign with a 41-10 win Sunday over Canada at Docklands Stadium.
Charvis' yellow card didn't cost the Welsh, who scored their first try in the 16th minute while he was in the sin bin. And the 30-year-old No. 8 made amends when he secured a bonus competition point for the Welsh when he crossed for their fourth try in the 55th minute.
Winger Gareth Thomas capped the win with a try -- his 32nd in internationals -- in the last minute and rugby league convert Iestyn Harris converted to increase his haul to 16 points and keep his perfect kicking record intact.
After an enthusiastic opening, the Canadians opened the scoring when veteran flyhalf Bob Ross calmly slotted a dropped goal from 20m in the fourth minute.
Former American football player Kevin Tkachuk came on as a replacement for Wales-based prop Rod Snow and barged over for Canada's lone try in the 72nd minute while the Welsh were again reduced to 14 men. Center Sonny Parker had been sinbinned for a professional foul in the previous phase.
Charvis was sent to the sinbin in the 9th minute for striking Ross as he attempted to charge down a kick. But the Welsh managed to gain the lead despite a one-man deficit.
Harris was heavily involved in the scoring movement, creating the chance with a jinking run from inside his half and then giving the last pass two phases later for Parker to dive into the corner.
Harris converted from the sideline for a 7-3 lead and Charvis returned to the field two minutes later as the Welsh took complete control.
Harris landed penalties in the 23rd and 29th minutes and then converted scrumhalf Gareth Cooper's try in the 31st minute as Wales took a commanding 20-3 lead at halftime.
Cooper scooped up a ball five meters out after a strong run from Thomas on the right flank and then scooted over in the tackle of his opposite number.
Harris was again instrumental in the third touch down, drawing the defense on halfway and putting Parker into space. Parker gave an inside ball to Mark Jones, who sprinted 35m to score untouched.
The fourth try for Wales was demoralizing for the Canadians, who lost a scrum against the head in the attack quarter and then were forced back to their own tryline with a series of mistakes before Charvis dived over.
Thomas moved within one of the Welsh all-time record for most tries when he snatched a brilliant reverse pass from replacement scrumhalf Dwayne Peel and beat two defenders to the line right on full time.
Scotland 32, Japan 11
Winger Chris Paterson scored a pair of tries Sunday to lead a tentative Scotland to a 32-11 win over Japan in their opening Rugby World Cup match.
Scotland, favored by as many as 45 points, found themselves on the back foot for a good portion of the match while Japan put sustained pressure with their speedy backs and steady and tough defense.
New Zealand-born Andrew Miller came on to replace flyhalf Keiji Hirose 10 minutes into the second half and minutes late orchestrated Japan's first try that pulled them to within four points before a crowd of 19,170 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Miller looped around Japan's inside center and threw a dummy pass to start the play that ended with Hirotoki Onozawa scoring in the 54th minute.
Minutes later, a try by Scotland fullback Kenny Logan was denied by the video referee when it was ruled he knocked-on. But Paterson's second try in the 66th minute clinched it before Simon Taylor and substitute Simon Danielli scored late tries to give the winners a bonus point.
Scotland captain Bryan Redpath said the Scots were rusty from not having played for five or six weeks.
"I think we started really well and finished well, but that doesn't win you games," the scrumhalf said. "Credit to Japan -- they tackled really well, made us work really hard and we panicked sometimes.
"We've got a lot of work to do in the next eight days before we play the United States."
Despite concerns over hot weather, there was little humidity at game time and a temperature of 23 degrees C in the tropical city.
Scotland opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Paterson, who had missed a penalty goal in the second minute, crossed after a sustained Scottish attack.
With the Japanese standing nearly flat-footed expecting a knock-on ruling by Australian referee Stuart Dickinson, Paterson ran out wide to put Scotland into an early lead and then converted his own try. Japan got on the board 10 minutes later when Hirose hit a penalty goal. His attempted dropped goal two minutes later with the breeze at his back that could have pulled Japan to within a point went wide.
Lock Stuart Grimes took a flick pass from Redpath from an infringement to scamper 25m down the sideline for the second Scotland try -- the 52-test veteran's first in World Cup action.
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