THE Springboks are peaking at exactly the right time as they bid to retain their World Cup title, coach Nick Mallett said on Thursday.
The Springboks, who have never lost a World Cup match, face Australia in the semi-finals at Twickenham on Saturday and Mallett believes the team have so much confidence they can beat any side in the world.
“Last week’s quarter-final victory over England really did it for us,” Mallett said. “The Springbok squad now have the confidence they can beat any team.
“Our match against England was easily our best performance of the entire year. We’re on the right track now, and the players know that.”
Mallett’s bouyant mood was increased by his belief that the 44-21 win over England was still below what the ‘Boks are capable of producing.
“To be frank, we haven’t exactly set the tournament alight with the way we’ve been playing,” said the coach.
“We’ve had a similar build-up to the semi-finals as Australia, except they played a lot better than we did against the weaker teams.
“I’m very proud to be a part of the Springboks reaching the semi-finals, though, considering the calibre of opposition the northern hemisphere has presented this year.”