Bok mentor Nienaber satisfied with tour outcome despite mixed results

In London

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said their four-week tour of Europe was highly enjoyable despite the fact they didn't win all their games.

They finished on a high note with a comprehensive 27-13 crushing of England at Twickenham on Saturday, with the previous success on tour being the 63-21 hammering of Italy in Genoa last week.

However, the tour didn't get off to the best of footings when they lost 19-16 to Ireland in Dublin and 30-26 to France in Marseille.

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Nienaber said the touring group, across the various tiers, bought into everything they wanted to try, even though things didn't always work out for them.

"It's been the most enjoyable four weeks despite the fact we've only won 50 percent of our games," Nienaber said.

"I thought in terms of the working relationship between the coaching staff, performance staff, and the players, I thought there was clarity and we gelled well.

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"Although we didn't get results in the first two games of the tour, I thought we were in with a chance.

"We were creative with the plans we made, stuck with them, and gave them a good go. There were other enjoyable times, but I felt this group came up with proper ownership and that was quite pleasing."

The Boks have had to deal with distractions on their tour and scrutiny in terms of how they want to play their rugby.

Nienaber was firm on how they've made sure that their end rugby outcome on the field is what they're measured on.

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"It’s a narrative and you can put as much energy into getting respect, but