Proteas coach Mark Boucher is convinced that fans will see a new national team when they face England in the first of four Tests on Boxing Day.
Since taking over, Boucher believes his done some work that hasn’t been done before.
The coach explains: “It’s been very good so far. We’ve pushed the guys a bit. We talked about being open to a few changes and the guys are really keen to try turn things around.
"They came in with a good attitude, we’ve had some good chats that have been very focused on this Test series.
“I’m pretty happy with where we are, there’s still a bit of work to be done, building up into the Test match. But I’m happy with where we are at the moment.”
PREPARATION: Faf du Plessis. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix.
He adds: “I think the confidence comes from the preparation.
“It’s almost like preparing for an exam; if you prepare for an exam properly, you’ll walk into that exam and you’ll feel confident going into it.
“We’re trying to get that confidence back.
“We’re making sure that we’re testing the guys in areas that they’ve probably not been tested in before.”
Of captain Faf du Plessis and his teammates being at the foot of the World Test Championship, Boucher says: “I’m not even thinking about the Test Championship at the moment.
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“I think that if we focus on what is important now, and giving guys good direction about where we want to go in the first Test match, the rest will take care of itself.”