SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus believes that the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash against France will be “one of the top games” of the tournament.

The teams will play at the Stade de France for a spot in the RWC semi-final. Erasmus said that playing against the hosts in front of their home crowd at a stadium that was packed to the brim was the biggest game in a quarter-final.

“If you want to do something great, it will never be in ideal situations,” said Erasmus.

“Given how France have done and the way they’ve been playing in the last few years, this will be one of the top games, and we’ll have to try to manage that.”

The former Bok loose forward thought the game would be tough and said it was important to do the basics right this weekend: “Winning is everything, and there are different ways of winning. Defence, scrums, lineouts, mauls and rucks will always be important, and given where are in the competition now, things will get tighter as the pressure builds.”

To get a spot in the midfield, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, and Canan Moodie will have to work hard. He agreed with Erasmus that the Boks were ready for the challenge.

“The intensity of a playoff game is certainly higher than any other game so far,” said Kriel. “But we train with intensity in the week to be able to perform at that level on the weekend.”

Both Kriel and Manie Libbok, who will be considered for the position of flyhalf alongside the seasoned Handre Pollard, have fond memories of the 2007 Rugby World Cup victory at Stade de France.

Kriel said: “I was in grade seven at the time and I was watching in my pyjamas in the TV room at the school hostel with my twin brother, so I have good memories of that day. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Of his memory of that match, Libbok said: “I was also young at the time, and it inspired me to play for the Springboks, to play in a World Cup, and to win it. It was also great for South Africa as country.”

Wednesday will mark the continuation of the team’s training schedule, followed by a day off on Thursday and the traditional captains’ run on Saturday. On Friday, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber will announce his match roster of 23 players.

The team kept up their training schedule on Wednesday and Thursday. On Saturday, they had their usual captains’ run.

On Friday, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber will name his 23-man team for the game.

Photo by Steve Haag Sports