'Adapt or die', says Springbok flanker

Teams that do not adapt quickly to referee interpretations will not survive at Rugby World Cup 2011, according to South Africa flanker Schalk Burger.

"You’ve got to adapt or die I suppose. That’s the way we see it,” Burger told a press conference at the team hotel.

He said the breakdown "was a lot clearer now than it was in the past" and was philosophical about still having to deal with differing referee interpretations.

"Every ref's got his own interpretation. The attacking side's getting more advantage than the defensive side, but if you're pretty good on the ground defensively you can turn over some ball," he said.

“Every ref’s got his own style, every ref is different.

"You just have to adapt and I think that’s a key for all teams in this competition; just adapt quickly and just try to be as accurate as possible at the breakdown."

Flooding the breakdown

In South Africa's 17-16 Pool D win against Wales at Wellington Regional Stadium last Saturday, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers said Wales had made it difficult for the referee, and his side, by flooding the breakdown with players and making it difficult to identify infringements.

"It was obviously very competitive, their loose forwards were exceptional," said Burger.

"Last weekend we found it pretty tough and it was pretty disruptive and very competitive.

"This weekend's a different challenge with Fiji and we'll try to improve our breakdown skills."
He said playing Fiji in Wellington on Saturday would be a different challenge for South Africa than the Wales match.

"Their locks seem to be faster than their wings sometimes, so it’s pretty hard to keep them quiet,” he said.