Boks promise to wow the fans

Johannesburg - The last and only other time the Springboks played at FNB Stadium ended in tears for the hosts and especially captain John Smit, who was celebrating his 100th Test for South Africa.

Now, two years on, the Boks and All Blacks meet at the venue once again, and while Smit won’t be in action, the breaker of Bok hearts that day, Israel Dagg, will be back... just, hopefully not to score the match-winning try.

The 29-22 victory hurt the Boks badly as it did the record 94 033 fans crammed into the stands.

There won’t be as many packed in on Saturday, but Bok skipper Jean de Villiers is still excited about the prospect of playing at the mammoth ground – and setting the record straight.

“The last time we were there wasn’t good for us. I’m looking forward to going back,” said De Villiers.

“It’s a special ground and the support is going to be great. That’s the one thing about our fans, even in the bad times they’re good.

“Rugby means so much to the public and we’re fully aware of just how important it is to reward them with good results... it’s the only way we can thank them for the support – and we try to do that every week,” he said yesterday.

So while wanting to give something back to the fans, to make them cheer again – or keep on cheering after the impressive win over Australia last weekend, De Villiers also knows how important the match is for his team. Counting in their favour is the fact the Bok starting XV is unchanged for the first time in three years.

“It certainly helps with consistency, and it’s great there are no injuries for a change.

“We as players have a responsibility to make the country proud and hopefully we can do so on Saturday ,” he said. - Saturday Star