Flanker Wikus van Heerden, the Boks’ stand-out player against the Wallabies last weekend, spoke about the possibility of captaining the team on Saturday.
“There’s been no formal discussion. I think the official announcement will be Tuesday and it will be somebody who has been involved in the system in the last few weeks, someone who will know what the calls are and know the structures.
“Definitely, I’ll put my hand up. To play for the Boks is a privilege and it’s an even bigger honour to lead them onto the field. Any player would like to have that honour, but at the end of the day I would have liked to have been involved a bit more in the last few weeks.”
He revealed the disappointment in the Bok camp after Saturday’s loss and the desire on the part of the players to put things right against the All Blacks in Christchurch.
“We still see it as a very big challenge. Obviously we are bitterly disappointed with last Saturday, having lost after we were 17-0 up.
“However, the guys see it as a case of ‘here we are in New Zealand, we have another chance and we are in a situation where we have nothing to lose’. It is another opportunity to play for our country and we are very excited about it.
“The guys are very motivated to make amends for the disappointment of not winning last Saturday.â€
After his stand-out performance against the Wallabies, van Heerden appears to have booked his place in the Bok squad for the World Cup in France later this year.
“It doesn’t help much to think about World Cup places and that sort of stuff right now. For me it is unbelievable to have an opportunity just to play a Test again – it’s been four years since I last played a Test.
“Just to get another chance is unbelievable, so I take it game for game and day for day. If I do get another chance against New Zealand this week it will be unbelievable.
“I don’t want to look beyond this weekend’s game against New Zealand and that is exactly how I approached last week’s game against Australia.â€
The second-string Boks have suffered a couple of injury blows, with Bob Skinstad (ribs) and Johan Ackermann (calf, concussion) both flown back to South Africa to recuperate.
“We will miss Johan enormously, just as we will Bob and it did not help either when Cobus got injured before the Test against Australia.
“The number of Test caps those three had together is just about the combined total of what is left here to play this Test. That is a lot of experience gone but it just means the guys who remain have an opportunity to play against the All Blacks in New Zealand, and that really is the ultimate.
“The Springboks don’t complain, and any South African player that is given the opportunity of playing the All Blacks in New Zealand will gladly accept the honour and privilege that it is and do justice to it.
“We might only have pride to play for, but when it is the Green and Gold that you are defending, that is all you need,†concluded van Heerden.
…that is all you need! Go Wikus 🙂