London - While the quarter-final exit at the last World Cup still counts as Springbok flyhalf Patrick Lambie’s lowest moments in his career, he remains confident that the ghost of Cardiff won’t return to haunt the Springboks ahead of their World Cup quarter-final encounter against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
The baby faced Lambie was the starting fullback at the 2011 World Cup when the Springboks were controversially knocked out of the tournament by Australia in the quarter-finals after dominating all facets of play.
Much of the blame on that day four years ago in Wellington was on referee Bryce Lawrence but it is a distant memory that Lambie is eager to erase by being part of a Springbok team that progresses to the semi-finals on Saturday.
As much as Lambie is not expected to start and will in all likelihood act as cover for flyhalf Handre Pollard on Saturday, he still harbours the same ambition as his teammates of getting their hands on rugby’s Holy Grail.
With the Springboks under severe pressure to win all their games in the tournament after the disaster of their first round loss to Japan, Lambie is adamant that the Springboks have been in knockout mode since then and are still desperate to continue on their winning ways which has seen them win three consecutive matches against Samoa, Scotland and the USA.
“That was one of the lowlights of my career so far. We had huge expectation and that was disappointing. We know what that feels like and we don’t want to repeat that feeling. But we have been in knockout phase since round two so for the whole group the pressure is pretty much the same and we want to win at all costs,” Lambie said at the Springboks plush base of Pennyshill Hotel and Spa on the outskirts of London in Bagshot.
Lambie and the Springboks will be motivation further by the loss in their last encounter against Wales in Cardiff where he started at flyhalf.
The Springbok team to run out against Wales in Twickenham will be very different from the one which succumbed to Sam Warburton’s men in Cardiff almost a year ago and Lambie is adamant that none of the events which transpired at the Millenium Stadium will play a role in Saturday’s outcome.
If there is anything that the Springboks will heed from last year’s defeat to the Red Dragons, is the danger they pose if taken lightly according to Lambie.
“I think that what happened in the past needs to stay in the past, Saturday is the only thing that counts now. Obviously we’ll have a look at what happened in Cardiff in November last year and try and learn from those experiences. But we want to focus on ourselves and things that we do well and put in a good performance on the weekend,” Lambie added.
Independent Media