Nienaber: We need to get consistency

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epa10204168 South Africa's coach Jacques Nienaber (R) and Siya Kolisi (L) react after the 2022 Castle Lager Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina at Kings Park in Durban, South Africa, 24 September 2022. EPA/Gerhard Duraan

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber wants his side to build consistency in their performances following their convincing win over Italy in Genoa on Saturday.

In Genoa, the Springboks scored nine tries, including two by winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, for a decisive victory.

But they had to work hard in the first half, when they only led 18-13. This was because the Italian team had just won a historic game against Australia the week before and was hoping to repeat their surprise win over the Boks in Florence in 2016.

“We certainly all want to see the team moving forward in this direction. Today we capitalised on the opportunities we created, but I don’t think it was a near perfect performance,” said Nienaber.

“We can always get better. That said, the work the guys have put in over the last month in terms of where we want to be heading into 2023 is great. The players are taking ownership and we are building.

“But as Siya said, one good game isn’t good enough. We need to get consistency. The challenge of course is when things don’t always go your way, to dig yourself out of it and try to get consistency.”

Photo by EPA/Gerhard Duraan