Boks in UK
Meyer wary of Flood, Tuilagi
2012-11-20 19:20
Cape Town - Springbok coach
Heyneke Meyer believes two players he used to coach will be danger men for his side when they face England at Twickenham this weekend.
Meyer singled out England flyhalf Toby Flood and outside centre Manu Tuilagi - who he coach while at Leicester in 2008-09 - as danger men for Saturday's Test.
“Toby’s really improved his tactical game and his tactical awareness. He’s always been a great attacking No 10 so if you give him the space and he’s on the front foot he’ll always get his backs going,” Meyer told the
iol sport website.
“He’s got the ability to run you to pieces. We’re going to have to be astute (in defending against him) and try to close that channel where he operates. He’s just a good all-rounder.”
Meyer says the 21-year-old Samoan-born Tuilagi impressed from a young age.
“He was only 17 years old when I was at Leicester and I knew then he would play for England. He was one of the strongest players at that age-group level and broke all the records for strength. He’s a hard runner and he’s difficult to tackle because he’s so compact. He’s a real danger man. He’s a great player and gives his team good momentum.”
The Bok coach however did acknowledge that scrums will also play a pivotal role in the outcome of the game.
“The scrum is a real battle in Europe. It’s certainly not viewed as just a starting point. England have one of the best scrums around, real quality, and unlike in June we don’t have Bismarck du Plessis or
Beast Mtawarira this time, so it’ll be a big test for the youngsters. England’s set pieces are all very solid, it’s one of their big strengths, but their defence is also outstanding," said Meyer.
Meyer on Tuesday
called up Golden Lions prop JC Janse van Rensburg to replace the injured CJ van der Linde.
Van der Linde will return home to South Africa after picking up a hamstring injury at training on Monday.
The clash at Twickenham kicks off at 16:30 (SA time) on Saturday.