The Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday and defending champions, the Springboks, seem ready for a tough battle against teams that have spent the past four years preparing for victory.
The Springboks have won all three warm-up games before the tournament against Argentina, Wales and New Zealand, creating high expectations from fans.
This week, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber announced the squad to play against Scotland for their World Cup opening game on Sunday. Nienaber said he expected the game to be challenging.
“We’ve been working hard in the past few weeks to make sure we are as prepared as possible going into this match and we are fully aware of the challenge that await us.”
The coach described the tournament as “tightly contested in history” but had confidence in his team.
“We’ve been building for this World Cup for the past four years and we are thrilled to get our campaign started. We are pleased with the squad depth we have built in the few months and believe this group of players strike the right balance to achieve the result we need,” he said.
POLL | Will the Springboks win the Rugby World Cup again?
Image: DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
The Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday and defending champions, the Springboks, seem ready for a tough battle against teams that have spent the past four years preparing for victory.
The Springboks have won all three warm-up games before the tournament against Argentina, Wales and New Zealand, creating high expectations from fans.
This week, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber announced the squad to play against Scotland for their World Cup opening game on Sunday. Nienaber said he expected the game to be challenging.
“We’ve been working hard in the past few weeks to make sure we are as prepared as possible going into this match and we are fully aware of the challenge that await us.”
The coach described the tournament as “tightly contested in history” but had confidence in his team.
“We’ve been building for this World Cup for the past four years and we are thrilled to get our campaign started. We are pleased with the squad depth we have built in the few months and believe this group of players strike the right balance to achieve the result we need,” he said.
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