VIDEO: Springboks keep focus amid hype

PARIS, FRANCE: A test match is a test match is a test match.

That might sound blasé if you are not a Springbok player, but the South African team has always sung from the same hymn book.

In fact, that is also what captain Siya Kolisi said last week ahead of the game against Japan in London.

That’s not to suggest France isn’t among the world’s elite teams – they’re currently ranked fifth – but rather that the Springboks approach every game with the same intensity, focus, and professionalism.

This week, flyhalf Manie Libbok echoed that same sentiment, just as assistant coach Felix Jones, No.8 Jasper Wiese, and lock Lood de Jager did in interviews.

It comes down to a team that never takes any opposition lightly and never underestimates any team in their build-up.

French media asked Libbok whether the Springbok team is feeling the pressure this week, amid all the talk of a “revenge game” that has been heavily hyped by the local press.

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“Every Test is tough, not just the one coming up against France. That is why they call it a Test match,” the No.10 calmly responded.

“Every country we play against always comes out guns blazing and wants to take us down.

“And that makes it tough. But for us, every test is the same in the way we prepare mentally and physically, and in intensity.

“It’s the same as any other test match.

“There are no differences between test matches; our preparation is the same.”

Libbok has intimate knowledge of playing at Stade de France and knows how boisterous the crowd can be.

“It’s always difficult to come and play here in front of French fans against France, the quality team that they are.

“It’s always tough, and it’s going to be tough on Saturday. But we prepare as well as we can to go out and do the job.

“We just focus on ourselves and not the things around us that we can’t control.”

With Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus only announcing his team for the weekend on Thursday, there is no knowing whether Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, or Handre Pollard will start.

In that World Cup quarterfinal between Les Bleus and the Boks two years ago, Libbok was in the starting line-up while Pollard replaced him after half-time.

When asked about the rivalry among the three flyhalves, Libbok acknowledged that competition is always present – but emphasized that it’s a healthy one.

“For us, it is first and foremost healthy competition. It helps the three of us to push each other in training to be better every day.

“It’s good, man, all three of us push each other hard.

“We go for coffee, and we have a great relationship. Handre and I have come a long way since our Bulls days, and with Sacha at the Stormers as well.

“So we have a good relationship, and we are quite close to each other. We learn a lot from each other,” Libbok said, and added that each one has a different way of doing things off the field.

“Our approach to training is different in terms of how we do things and go about our business, and that’s how we learn from each other.

“So you try to add that to your game and your preparation, so it’s good to have those inputs.”