Hougaard passed the test

Springbok scrumhalf Francois Hougaard has praised his forwards for their work at the breakdowns, to allow him to fire out quick ball to the backs against England.

The 24-year-old was cricised for his distribution from the base of the ruck in the first test in Durban, but supplied clean, crisp service to the backline on Saturday to redeem himself.

Hougaard was the first person to to put up his hand and admit that his passing wasn't at its best in Durban.

"I struggled a bit during the first game, it was a bit scrappy on my side after we only spent a short time together in camp," Hougaard told SAPA.

However, the ferocious scrumhalf was pleased with his accuracy in Johannesburg, with the Boks speed at the breakdowns making life tough for England.

"I think we are a very dangerous side when we get quick ball so I think the breakdowns were much better,' he said.

"I'm satisfied with the way I played, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

"The more time we spend together, the running lines and ruck balls we get will improve.

"We placed emphasis on the breakdowns this week and it showed out there."

Under coach Heyneke Meyer's guidance the Springboks are looking for continued improvement, and Hougaard wants a bigger victory in the third and final Test of the series.

"We made a lot of mistakes that we will have to correct this week, although we played well in the first half, we let them back into the game," Hougaard said.

"Our focus wasn't as much on winning the series as it was to play well every time we represent our country.

"So we will approach the next one as we did the first two."

"It wasn't a case of us jumping for joy after the final whistle, we are expected to win at home and we need to be more convincing.

"The fact that the guys didn't go ballistic afterwards is a sign that we have our feet on the ground and we know there is a lot of hard work ahead of us."