Steven Kitshoff is clear about the preparation he prefers ahead of a Rugby World Cup final.
Does he prefer to breeze into the showpiece event like the All Blacks did against Argentina, or does buffeting winds from fired up opposition like England serve the Bok cause better?
“A game like this,” said Kitshoff in the bowels of the Stade de France after the Boks nail-biting 16-15 win over England on Saturday, “it just keeps you flat on the earth.
“It gives you something to look at and try to improve,” said the loose-head prop about preparation ahead of next Saturday's RWC final against the All Blacks at the same venue.
Kitshoff made the point winning the game the way they did does a lot for self belief.
“At one point we were nine points behind and we had to see how we could claw it back. England played such a good territorial game. We just saw the belief and willingness not to give up,” he said, describing the view from the bench.
Semifinal hero Handré Pollard believes there are pros and cons to playing familiar foes like the All Blacks. With 105 clashes across their 102-year history the Boks have played the All Blacks more than any other team.
“Both teams know each other so well,” remarked Pollard.
“It is going to be interesting. We'll have to come up with very good plans. They are playing really good rugby at the moment. They are playing an explosive game, punishing teams from all over the park. We'll have to do our home work really well.”
With one day less than the All Blacks to prepare for the final the Springboks will have to rest and recover well after their exertions over the past week. They beat France in a mentally and physically draining match last week, while England took almost as much out of them six days later. Both wins were achieved by a one-point margin.
The Boks have at times looked leaden-footed in their last two matches. While game time was well spread in the pool stages they are now hoping to stay the course with the players they want on the field longest.
There is little chance of them rotating their squad but they may opt to deploy flyhalf Pollard from the start.
“The beauty of this group is we are open and honest, and because we have the right players, the players accept it,” explained head coach Jacques Nienaber about the decision to replace Manie Libbok at the half-hour mark with Pollard. “Sometimes things aren’t going your way. We did it with Bongi [Mbonambi] in 2018. We took him off. For that specific day he just was not on fire but he started the next week again.
The fact that the 'Bomb Squad' came on to the field is because the guys who started laid the foundations and that is what people miss. They see the performance of the guys coming on but you don’t know how much the starters took out of the team they are playing against.
— Jacques Nienaber
“The main thing is everything is for the team and they understand that. Players take it on the chin. It doesn’t mean he [Libbok] won’t start next week. We didn’t miss a kick at goal tonight, every single opportunity we utilised, with him and Handré. That is how it is. It is for South Africa, not for the individual, not for the ego,” explained Nienaber.
When reminded the Bok bench has had to step up and dig the team out of strife over the last few games, Nienaber defended the selection process.
“Sometimes when we select a team there’s a big thing about the bench — whether it’s a seven-one or five-three on the bench (ratio of forwards to backs). The main thing is it’s a squad of 33 players and everyone has a role or responsibility. The fact that the 'Bomb Squad' came on to the field is because the guys who started laid the foundations and that is what people miss. They see the performance of the guys coming on but you don’t know how much the starters took out of the team they are playing against.
“It is something we discuss with the players and they understand how it works. We don’t have an A and a B side — sometimes we start with Ox [Nche] and [Steven] Kitshoff is on the bench. We don’t operate like that.”
Though the Boks beat the All Blacks by a record 35-7 in London before the RWC, their matchups against each other this year will count for nothing next weekend, assistant coach Deon Davids was keen to point out. A lot of water has made its way down the Thames Estuary and indeed down the Seine since that encounter in late August.
“We have played them a couple of times this year but going into a World Cup final I don't think any of those previous encounters count. It is a totally new game, under new circumstances, playing for the World Cup. We will have to be on top of our plan and our execution this week.”
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