Stokke leaves the mind games to Rassie

The Springboks won’t be distracted by talk coming out of the All Blacks camp and will focus on the “reality” of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series for the world champions, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.

So says Bok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, who fronted the media ahead of Saturday’s showdown at Cape Town Stadium between Rassie Erasmus’ men and the world’s No 1-ranked team, New Zealand.

Kiwi boss Dave Rennie has raised concerns over the scrum battle and consulted World Rugby, but Stick on Friday was unmoved when asked about the pre-Test noise, pointing instead to Bok laws advisor Jaco Peyper’s role within the camp.

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“I’m not really a mind games person, especially with all the other things that are happening out there. Those things we leave for a guy like Rassie. He’s our leader,” he said. “We’ve [also] got a guy like Jaco Peyper. That’s one thing that has helped us in our system over the past couple of years.

“We always say we want to build a good, respectful relationship with the match officials, and he handles that business very well. It helps us to speed up the process of getting better as a team, what you want to improve and what you understand.

“We know we were disappointed last week with the way the result went, so we’ll probably do everything in our power to turn things around.

“My job is just to coach, not to play mind games,” he added.

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With a Bok win in the Mother City needed to level the series and reclaim the world No 1 ranking, Stick addressed the scrutiny that followed last week’s defeat.

“Everyone has got their opinion on how they see the game. How you act on it is up to you when it comes to your feelings. But again, we are the coaches. We watch the clips again and again. We also discuss [things with the players] and they are important.

“Unfortunately … If you don’t take your opportunity, someone else will take it. That’s exactly what happened last week. We got a few opportunities, they also got theirs in that game.

“They buried them and turned them into points. That’s the reality of this series and where we are currently. It’s another opportunity tomorrow and we’ve done everything in our power to make sure that the players are ready.”

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Stick also noted preparing in Joburg before travelling to Cape Town, where 70% rain is predicted for Saturday, will benefit the Boks.

“From my experience when I used to play, it’s always better when you travel from up north to the coast.

“Rain or not, I think the most important thing for us is to make sure that the opportunities that we created last week, we convert them into points.”

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images