Canberra - Jake White has said that he can see few weaknesses in Peter de Villiers’ Bok squad provided the players are managed correctly.
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Speaking from his RugbyXV website, White said it was a good squad, but said that a few injuries might vastly change things for the Springboks.
“There aren't too many weaknesses, and with any squad, there are many permutations. If certain players get injured, who comes in and where they fill in is where you can judge the entire squad.”
“Peter de Villiers has said he's going to play his strongest side all the time. Therefore, it's difficult to analyse the rest of the squad and what their value will be,” White said.
White indicated that the events of the Tri-Nations would not impact on the World Cup.
White ‘s 2007 World Cup-winning Springboks, like Peter de Villier’s team, finished their Tri-Nations campaign at the bottom of the Tri-Nations table, after suffering three defeats in a row before they headed into their World Cup campaign.
White said, similarly, he didn’t believe that New Zealand’s two losses on the trot would impact negatively on New Zealand’s frame of mind heading into the World Cup.
“It doesn't mean anything about who'll win the World Cup, while some will say it's good for New Zealand, because there's less expectation.”
“It may be better for them heading into a World Cup with their public knowing they can't win everything.”
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