Springboks lock Jean Kleyn says his side have already begun their preparations for the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup.
If Ireland beats Scotland and keeps the other team from getting a bonus point, they and the Springboks will move on to the top eight. If Scotland wins by eight points and Ireland doesn’t get a bonus point, on the other hand, Scotland and the Springboks will go through.
If the games end in a tie, the Boks would finish first in their pool. The only way the Springboks would lose would be for Scotland to beat Ireland by at least 21 points, with both teams getting bonus points for scoring tries.
Before the weekend’s games, the Boks have three training days this week: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Sunday, they will start a full match training week again.
“This is a week for us to reset,” said Kleyn.
“It’s just the way the dice rolled for us, and we cannot wait to see what happens on Saturday. We’ve put ourselves in a good position to do what we can to qualify. It will take something significant for us not to make it. So, we know what lies ahead and what we need to do.
“At the moment, we are at the top of the pool, and we can finish first, second or third. All we can do is to prepare as best possible.”
When asked how he thought the pool decider might go, the former Irish international wasn’t sure.
“There’s always a high level of attrition when Irish and Scottish teams play against one another,” said Kleyn, who represented Ireland at RWC 2019.
“There’s an underlying combativeness between those nations both at club and international level, so it will be a serious match.”
On a lighter note, Kleyn said that many team members had their families in camp over the last few weeks, which was a nice break after a few months of hard physical work for the team.
“I have an eight-month-old baby, and it’s fantastic to have them around all the time. Any man is only as good as the people around him, so it’s been an absolute joy,” said Kleyn.
“We’ve been away from home for about four months with the team, so having our families here adds a sense of semi-normality to life. It’s also good to reset the mind, which is fantastic.”
Photo by Steve Haag Sports/INPHO/Shutterstock
