Centre Nick De Luca insists a victory over South Africa is not essential for Scotland’s World Cup hopes.
The Scots host the Springboks after losing to New Zealand last Sunday. They need to win, and beat Tonga a week later, to secure a second seed berth for England in three years’ time.
bbc
“There’s no need to win it for the World Cup. We need to win it because collectively we want to win,” De Luca told BBC Scotland. “We think we’re good enough to beat South Africa.”
Saturday’s Test will be the 22nd meeting of South Africa and Scotland since the first in 1906. The Springboks have won 16 and lost five, including the 2010 Murrayfield defeat in torrential rain.
That triumph for Scotland came a week after a stinging defeat to the All Blacks and Edinburgh’s De Luca is eyeing a repeat success.
“We now need to go out there and show everybody we are good enough and it’s going to take an 80-minute performance from all of us,” he said
“If we manage to get top eight for the World Cup seedings that’s great, but in three years’ time the top eight might not be the top eight anymore. We need to go out and concentrate on this game.
“We’re looking for a win to beat this team, not necessarily for the World Cup pools.
“We want to beat everyone that’s put in front of us and if you want to do well in the World Cup you’ll have to beat a top seeded side.
“Obviously it makes it easier if you’re one of the top seeded sides but last World Cup we were up against two better seeds [England and Argentina] and we should have won both those games so if we’re in that situation again we’ll back ourselves and hopefully make it come good.”
De Luca will be joined in the starting XV by Edinburgh team-mate David Denton, who replaces the injured Ross Rennie.
“It’s a great feeling to be back,” explained the Zimbabwe-born number eight. “It was tough for me to take the fact I wasn’t starting [against New Zealand] but I feel I worked hard and played well when I came on.
“South Africa are a really physical team and they play good rugby.
“It will be aggressive and I’m relishing the opportunity to test myself against the best exponents of the style I like to play.
“I’m looking to be physical, aggressive and carry the ball well.”
Yip that is for you Piet…… 🙂
Good song though, used to enjoy them had some good songs.
120 @ Sharks_forever:
It is his laptop I think giving him greef he said.
@ Sharks_forever:
No, I am still here, waiting for the wife to set up her skype, also wanna watch the Wales game.
@ Puma:
see he bought one of them small complicated sony’s lol
watch the Guitarist here make a Guitar talk bro
123 @ Pietman:
Thought it was your laptop giving you trouble Piet… See that video it is for you from us Sharkies…..LOL.
124 @ Sharks_forever:
Yes I like that
@ Puma:
😆
@ Puma</
Thx.
Yip, I really miss the Cape rain and storms and snoek and soet patats in front of the fire place, I grew up on that….the wine came much later! I didn't use to drink as a youngster, btw, the odd beer at the Boston after rugby practice, never had the time, studied at night mostly and worked by day!
@ Pietman:
Bolds again? !!!! No man, where is GBS?
Okay gents been good fun, going to watch some tv with my better half.
Catch up tomorrow.
@ Puma:
Yes, a few old injuries later and i have to keep my core strength up, so it’s all compound exercises. Squats, dead-lifts, bench etc all focusing on form not weight, although that improves over the years too, I can squat well over 150 kgs for several sets if I want to (that’s without taking my own body-weight into consideration), don’t know what my max would be, never checked, but it makes getting up off the couch a lot easier if you know what I mean.
128 @ Pietman:
Hahahaha. At least you can do the bold thing Piet, I have no idea how too…..LOL 🙂
Okay out of here now. Catch up with the game later or tomorrow.
@ Puma:
Cheerio, see you at the game maybe.
@ Pietman:
The Boston Hotel? LOL now that does bring back my own set of memories, that ‘hood was my old sto,ping ground when I was growing up.
131 @ Stormersboy:
Yes it is very good for the whole body, keep it up. I was told to do weights to strengthen my Quads mostly for the knees, did go a few times but it takes too much time. You will benefit later in life if you keep it up as it keeps the bones stronger by building the muscle, just don’t over do it. Then you will know how much to do. Like I said I mostly swim and walk, but swim more and play the odd game of golf. Once I get my knees done I really want to play a lot more golf.
Cheers boet out of here now. Catch up tomorrow or later when the rugby is on.
@ Puma:
Ciao Pooms
You Guys mentioned Boston?? 😆 so listen to Boston music lol
@ Stormersboy:
Also the Outspan (across from SANLAM), and then of course the Oxford or Grove Hotel in the Ville.
Orange Grove used to belong to Solly Solomon, head honcho at Ville RC.
And if you were really brave, the Parow Hotel also had a nice ‘sporty ambiance’ (just had to check the scene out first, as long as Clifford/Skattie, Buks Mills and Rooi Spies were around, us rugby okes were ok in there…)
128 @ Pietman:
Before I go Piet. You were a good youngster…..hahahaha. I got up to a lot when I was young. Had a great time growing up though. Remember we were 3 boys and got up to a lot until we got sense when we grew up. Now it is only me, I have lost both my brothers. Miss them. I lost my big boet just about 5 weeks back now.
Anyhow catch up later. Just enjoy life no matter what. It is just toooooooo short. Have a blast I say, you never know what tomorrow brings. Cheers boet.
@ Stormersboy:
There used to be a jewish hall behind the old Boston where we went for a ‘jig’ on Saterday nights, you know it? Near the CY post office.
PIet these were the days 😆
@ Puma:
Sorry to hear about your boet Pooms, strength and commiserations bru.
You told me about the other brother some years ago.
Moving to the tv room, see you on the game thread.
@ Pietman:
lol yes, remember
Well no one in our Superbru group is predicting a Scottish win, same as no one predicted a Samoa win, I hope that’s not an omen.
For Superbru, I have moved one place up the table, and I see quite a few others have moved up or down. Since none of us got any points for the Samoa game, I am not quite sure how that works.
148 @ Peter J:
I hope this time round us all picking one team to win it will be correct…lol.
I almost put down Samoa and thought nope, Wales are 6 Nations champs and will bring their game this week after losing to Arg, instead the Samoans klapped them… 😯 Samoa could have had a bigger score against them as well, think they missed 5 kicks or something like that.
144 @ Pietman:
Thanks Piet.
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