While celebrating a historic weekend for SA rugby, Malcolm Marx singled out the breakdowns as a key area for the Springboks to work on for the rest of the Rugby Championship.
The Boks on Saturday took a big step towards winning the tournament for the first time since 2019 after registering back-to-back victories against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
South Africa beat the All Blacks in Johannesburg two weeks ago and built on that with a 18-12 win at Cape Town Stadium, the first time the Boks kept New Zealand tryless since 2011, and the first time the Kiwis failed to score a try in a Test since they lost 16-9 to Ireland in Dublin in 2018.
These results also contributed to the side making history by becoming the first Bok team to beat New Zealand four times in a row since 1949 – a feat achieved the Boks have now only achieved twice in history.
The Boks are now on 18 points on the Rugby Championship log – eight above Argentina, with two matches remaining in the competition against Los Pumas, in Santiago on 21 September and in Nelspruit a week later.
Rassie Erasmus will name a squad of 28 later this week to travel to Argentina, while a handful of players will remain behind in the Republic to prepare for the Mbombela Stadium clash.
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Marx, who dotted down after coming off the bench in the Mother City, highlighted the work-ons for the world champions as they begin their preparations on Wednesday in Stellenbosch, before departing for Argentina on Saturday.
“New Zealand are a great side with equally great coaches,” said Marx. “We weren’t accurate enough in the breakdown area, which is generally a place we pride ourselves on, so we’ll look at that area of our game this week and see where to improve.”
The Boks scored two tries on Saturday, with skipper Siya Kolisi joining Marx on the score sheet, but the burly hooker refused to take all the credit for his five-pointer.
The try in the 74th minute saw Marx extend his record as the leading Bok forward try scorer, and move into joint 10th place on the all-time try-scoring list with the late James Small at 20 tries.
“It wasn’t just me, it was the full pack that contributed to that,” said Marx. “I was just the one fortunate enough to get over the tryline. The other players worked equally hard.”
Asked what made this Bok team so special and one that appears to be shifting boundaries all the time, Marx said: “As a player, I’m extremely grateful to be part of this side. This generation of players has been a force in world rugby, and to be sitting here is something I cherish every day.”
“Whether you play off the bench or start, we all have roles. If you play off the bench, you know what you are playing for as a team, so the most important thing is to go out there and make an impact.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
