Beating Lions a personal crusade, says De Jager

SPRINGBOK lock Lood de Jager says the turnaround in performance from the first Test against the British & Irish Lions to the second was due to a change in attitude from the entire South African squad.

De Jager, who made a massive impact off the bench in the second half of the Boks’ emphatic 27-9 win in Cape Town on Saturday, said the players made beating the Lions and levelling the series a “personal” crusade.

“We were disappointed with what we produced in the first Test – maybe it was a lack of a game time and rustiness, but we chose not to look for excuses,” the 28-year-old said.

“We were disappointed in ourselves; as players, we disappointed our coaches and our country.

“So we took the defeat personally, and then the whole squad – players, management and coaches – decided to make the second Test ‘personal’. By ‘personal’ we mean it is about going out to play for your family, the people of this country, the people who are underprivileged and have less than us.”

De Jager was a key member of a bench that ramped up the Boks’ momentum in the second half at Cape Town Stadium, in stark contrast to the lack of impact made in the first Test.

“We bench players were very disappointed in our contribution the previous week, so yes, we were fired up to make a difference this time,” De Jager said.

After the match, Lions coach Warren Gatland commented that he could see the emotion on the faces of the Boks at the final whistle. He could see how much it meant to the Boks.

De Jager was asked if the Boks could replicate that emotion two matches in a row.

“Playing for the Boks is about more than yourself, you are representing the whole country,” he answered.

“It is about keeping each other accountable as players and as coaches so that we keep driving up standards. That way we can hopefully keep that energy going into this last Test match, and it really should not be an issue because this (is) like a Cup final for both teams.”

De Jager agreed that there was more niggle in the second Test than is the norm for international rugby.

“There was more niggle ... It was just the magnitude of the game. There was so much at stake.

“They are playing for their countries; they are proud, world-class players. And for us it was personal.

“It was a massive game in that they were trying to win the series and it was even bigger for us because if we had lost, we were done,” De Jager said.

Meanwhile, wing Rosko Specman, loose forward Dan du Preez and hooker Johan Grobbelaar have all been called up to join the Boks in Cape Town, writes Wynona Louw.

The call-up for Grobbelaar marks his first to the national team, while Specman, who made his Test debut against Georgia, and Du Preez return after being included in the wider squad for the Lions series.

“We have a tough Rugby Championship series ahead after Saturday’s series decider against the British & Irish Lions and given the strict Covid-19 protocols we have to adhere to, we have decided to bring the players in sooner rather than later,” coach Jacques Nienaber said of the thinking behind the call-ups.

“This is Johan’s first senior national call-up and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do at this level after showing his class and consistency at the Bulls.

“Rosko played against Georgia and we know what he has to offer, having worked with him for several weeks before he was released from camp.

“Dan was one of the unlucky players who didn’t get game time due to Covid-19 in our first few matches, so we are looking forward to having him back and giving him a chance to show us what he can do again.”