Deon Davids is urging the Springboks not to let last year's 54-7 result breed complacency ahead of Saturday's season-opener in Gqeberha. The Barbarians' roster this time around carries genuine teeth — Duhan van der Merwe, TJ Perenara, Tomás Albornoz and Andrew Kellaway among them — and the coaching panel of Scott Robertson, Felipe Contepomi and Patrice Collazo gives the invitational side a level of tactical sophistication that won't be wasted. Davids's point is straightforward: a squad built to run and offload, guided by coaches of that calibre, can punish any side that loses discipline or tries to ease into the game. For the Boks, the fixture is about transferring training-camp work into match conditions — but the opposition will demand they do it properly from the first whistle.
Davids: Don't sleep on the Barbarians
Davids is warning against underestimating a Barbarians side stacked with X-factor internationals and coached by Robertson and Contepomi — the full piece outlines why Saturday's opener in Gqeberha carries more risk than the 54-7 scoreline from last year might suggest.
- Deon Davids
- Springboks
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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