South Africa still have much to do says coach after series win over Wales

CAPE TOWN : South Africa feel there is still much work needed on their game after beating Wales on Saturday in their three-test series and with the start of the Rugby Championship three weeks away.

The world champions struggled to overcome Wales 32-29 in the first test, then played a second string and lost the second 13-12 but on Saturday dominated in front of 50,000 at the Cape Town Stadium for a 30-14 victory.

“We had a specific plan, but things don’t always go according to plan, but winning the series was something we were trying to achieve,” coach Jacques Nienaber told a news conference after Saturday’s international.

He had been criticised for the numerous changes made across the three games, where Wales marked their first-ever win in South Africa.

Next for the Springboks are crunch meetings with arch foe New Zealand in the Rugby Championship, hosting them in Nelspruit on Aug. 6 and Johannesburg one week later.

“There is lots for us to work on, we created a lot of opportunities but didn’t capitalise on them,” added Nienaber.

“We had a long conversation last week about controlling the game when we are ahead on the scoreboard. I thought the composure was much better today. We were a lot more clinical on how to play when we have scoreboard pressure in our favour.

“But I think there is a lot to build on, we are still not a polished outfit. We were frustrated with ourselves for not taking our opportunities.”

Captain Siya Kolisi said Saturday’s victory provided a confidence booster ahead of the Rugby Championship.

"We approached it as a final. It was a tough series but exactly what we needed to start our season.

"A lot of players got opportunities and that was important for us for the future," he added.