VIDEO: Boks go into 'knock-out' mode as Scotland opener looms
South Africa head into a crucial stage of their World Cup preparation, especially in the wake of the squad announcement on Tuesday.
Even though there remains two warm-up matches, the focus is already beginning to shift to the opening match of the global showpiece in France.
Reiterating his well-documented stance that the Rugby Championship and warm-up fixtures are all about getting game time into the broader squad of players, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said the value of varying approaches by the different teams will only be seen at the World Cup in France.
“We wanted to ensure that every [Springbok] player has had some match minutes,” he said – adding that it is ‘impossible’ to get everyone the same and adequate number of minutes on the park.
The Bok coach gave credit to the players for sticking to the plan, despite the constant changing through the four matches played this year.
He added there will be a bit more “consistency” after the World Cup squad announcement on Tuesday – in the final warm-up encounters with Wales (in Cardiff, August 19) and New Zealand (Twickenham, August 25).
“We have reassessed where we are and where the combinations are,” Nienaber told @rugby365com in an online interview after the 24-13 win over Argentina this past weekend.
Turning to the opening World Cup fixture – against Scotland at Stade Vélodrome, in Marseille, on September 10 – Nienaber said they will be in “knock-out” mode from the outset.
Not only does the fourth-ranked South Africa face Scotland (ranked fifth) in their opening Pool B encounter, but the world’s top-ranked team, Ireland, also await them before the play-offs arrive.
(WATCH as Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber chats to @king365ed about the team’s approach ahead of their World Cup opener against Scotland at Stade Vélodrome, in Marseille, on September 10...)
It means one of the teams ranked in the top five in the world – Ireland, South Africa and Scotland – will not reach the quarterfinals.
And there are also the tricky fixtures against Romania and Tonga – two potential banana skins.
The two teams that occupy the top two places in the final Pool B standings will face the winners and runners-up from Pool A – almost certainly France and New Zealand.
“Scotland is the most important game for us,” Nienaber said.
“We must ensure we peak there [opening round].
“That is why we had to get everybody some game time and not just training, training and training,” the coach explained.
“The majority of the guys have had some minutes.
“We have a minimum number of minutes in our minds,” he said, declining to reveal that number.
“We are comfortable that the guys we wanted to get some game minutes in, who needed the game time, we got that balance right.
“Scotland is going to the massive,” he said, adding that they showed in their 25-21 win over France at Murrayfield this past weekend – despite the ‘rotational;’ nature of the French team.
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