Wales remain dangerous side, says Stick: ‘If you’re not at your best they’ll punish you’

The visitors to South Africa are in transition, as the Boks were in 2018. Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says he has a good idea of the struggle Wales find themselves in as a team and has cautioned his players that they’ll be up against a hungry and determined side when the teams clash in Durban on Saturday. It is the final round match of the new Nations Championship this July before the competition resumes in November in the Northern Hemisphere. Going into this match, the Boks have beaten England and Scotland, while Wales have beaten Fiji and lost to Argentina. The last time the Boks and Wales met, in November in Cardiff last year, the world champions of Rassie Erasmus won 73-0. Wales have found the going tough in recent times, losing more than they’ve been winning. They also suffered five straight defeats in the Six Nations earlier this year. ‘One or two results might change everything’ “They’re not far from turning things around,” said Stick Friday. “But, I’ve been there … in 2016, 2017 [under the coaching of Allister Coetzee and the Boks suffering several defeats] … into 2018 when we were in transition. We had challenges in 2018 [under a new coaching set-up under Rassie Erasmus]. We only had a 50% winning ratio, so we’ve also been through tough times. “They’re in that space now … but, one or two good results might change everything for them.” Because of this desperation, Stick said the Boks would not underestimate Steve Tandy’s side at Kings Park. “It’s always tough against them. They’re [moving] in the right direction, are in a good space,” said Stick. “I think they’ll give us a similar challenge as Scotland did. At the breakdown they’ll challenge us, in the backline they’ve got a couple of guys who’ve been around, and set-piece-wise they’re well-organised and they take pride in how they operate there. “If you don’t play well against them you’ll be on the wrong side … on a good day, if you’re not at your best they will punish you.” Areas for improvement Stick said the Boks were looking to improve in a few areas where things didn’t go quite right in last weekend’s match against Scotland at Loftus. “Our kicking game with defence … we weren’t at our best last week,” said the Bok assistant coach. “Scotland had a lot of control, and they had a lot of line breaks, so there’s a lot of room for improvement. “Yes, there’s been lots of rotation [in our side] and that doesn’t make it easier, but everyone has bought in … this week there will be a lot of focus on our kicking game and how we defend.”