'We could have selected 15 robots': Bok players get licence to thrill at RWC
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber wants his players to express themselves in the best way possible at the World Cup, even if it means going a bit off script.
The Boks have shown a lot of enterprise in their play lately, especially in the last warm-up match against the All Blacks at Twickenham.
There were a lot of flashes of brilliance in London, which included some slick passing and some dazzling footwork on their way to a 35-7 win.
In Manie Libbok, the Boks have a flyhalf that ignites the backline and he and some of the other game-breakers won’t be put into a box when the World Cup gets underway.
“It is not just Manie, I think everyone,” said Nienaber when he was asked if the flyhalf would be allowed to express his attacking flair.
“There is a reason why we select a player. Obviously, we do thorough road maps on players and we look at their games and they get selected because we feel that they can add value to the team.
“Every player has a different skillset that he can bring to the team.
“We encourage them to use that skillset, otherwise we could have selected 15 robots.
“Each guy is an individual and they got individual attributes that they bring to the game and we would like them to express that.”
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#ICYMI: Something for the Boks to think about ahead of that Scotland clash 👇#RWC2023 #Scotland #SouthAfrica #Springboks #SCOvRSA https://t.co/QfMouakOxH
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Meanwhile, the Boks wrapped up their training camp in Corsica on Friday and they are heading to Toulon on Saturday where their World Cup base will be situated.
“We had a really good week here in Corsica. The main reason for us coming here is that we are in the Mediterranean and we wanted to get used to the conditions and the humidity,” said Nienaber.
“I would say it is similar to Durban.
“There were probably two parts to this week and the first one I can say is a last top-up from a conditioning point of view before we go into the World Cup.
“It was a nice week where we could have some solid conditioning work done and with one eye on Scotland and getting the majority of our stuff done and ready for that match.”
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