Boks aim to fix mistakes against All Blacks, says Arendse

Fixing mistakes they made when they lost to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship in July will be a priority for the Springboks when they face their old foes in a World Cup warm-up on Friday, wing Kurt-Lee Arendse says.

In Auckland, the Boks trailed 17-0 after 16 minutes and that sluggish start resulted in them having to play catch-up. They lost 35-20.

Arendse says his team have analysed that painful defeat and will be gunning for a different outcome at Twickenham in London on Friday (kickoff 8.30pm).

“Building momentum before the World Cup is really important for us,” Arendse said. “We will go back and look at the earlier New Zealand game and see what we did wrong, and try to rectify that.

“The squad that has been picked for Friday is to get closer [to World Cup selection] and go out there and execute the plan that is set out for us.”

Arendse said he has no doubt Canan Moodie will be a success after he was switched from wing to centre for Friday’s clash.

“I have seen what Canan can do and he has grown as a player. He is very competitive and will do well at centre. When we are together in the room he always says he would like to get an opportunity at 13. Now Canan has that chance and I think he will make the best of it.”

After sitting on the sidelines for a while, Arendse is itching to get on the field at Twickenham.

“I would love to have played all the games, but the coaches have a plan. I always tell myself to be ready if I get an opportunity and I am looking forward to this one against the All Blacks.

“I get butterflies every day and being part of this Springbok group is something very special. My family are very proud of me, and I am enjoying every minute and I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Bok coach Jacques Nienaber said his team could not handle the early pressure when they lost in Auckland.

“We knew what was coming, we just couldn’t handle it,” Nienaber said. “I felt we struggled to get into the game in the first 20 minutes and our discipline was poor. We gave away four penalties and we made a lot of mistakes ...  that put guys under pressure.

“With the quality that New Zealand [have], they capitalised on that and we had to play catch-up rugby for the rest of the game.

“The rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks is one of the most intense in world rugby, so it’s a great way for us to wrap up our warm-up matches before heading to France for the World Cup.

“This match may be on neutral ground, but we expect it to be as epic as every other Test between the teams. They are a quality team with several playmakers and physical forwards, and they’ll give everything on Friday.

“We know what to expect and what we need to do to work our way into a position to get the desired result, so, as a team, we need to be ready mentally and physically.”