PATRICK VIGNAL, Glasgow | Thursday 11.00am.
SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallett, his mind already drifting to a possible World Cup quarter-final against England, promised his team would not take Uruguay lightly in their final group A match on Friday.
“We are approaching this game in the same way as we would for a match against New Zealand,” Mallett said ahead of a contest most see as a huge mismatch.
“Uruguay have a big, strong pack and they will present us with the same kind of problems we should face in the match against England, which will be such a big game for us.”
The Uruguayans, making their World Cup debut, do not pretend to be as mighty as the All Blacks but they showed in their 43-12 defeat by Scotland last week they could put up a brave fight.
Mallett, who keeps saying he has little interest in playing the lesser sides, was clearly upset by his men’s wretched performance on their way to a 47-3 victory over Spain on Sunday.
“We took Spain too lightly,” Mallett said, making clear the green and golds should not make the same mistake against the South Americans. “The players let themselves down. They all tried to grab the ball in their enthusiasm to impress. But it’s teamwork that makes the side, not individual performances.”
After fielding his second string against Spain, Mallett this time brings back the big names, picking a team similar to the one which tamed Scotland 46-29 in the opening group A match.
“It was always clear that we wanted to have our best team playing together before the match against England,” Mallett said.
With South Africa about to win their group and England set to finish runners-up in theirs, the two sides should battle it out on October 24 in Paris for a place in the semi-finals.
Flyhalf Henry Honiball, whose vision and accurate kicking are vital to the side, will make his tournament debut after nursing a hamstring strain he sustained while training for the Scotland match.
Uruguay, who have been flying the flag of amateur rugby proudly so far, made two changes from the team who played Scotland, bringing in scrumhalf Fernando Sosa Diaz for Frederico Sciarra and flanker Nicolas Grille for Nicolas Brignoni.
“We have already demonstrated that we deserved to be here,” said coach Daniel Herrera, whose men stand an outside chance of qualifying for the play-offs as the best-placed third team. — Reuters
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