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Springboks 'bomb squad' star aims for big Twickenham finale
Should South Africa repeat their 2019 World Cup final win over England at Twickenham on Saturday they will complete their first Autumn International Series clean sweep since 2013.
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Following a series win over the British & Irish Lions, the Springboks needed a win over New Zealand to leave a below-par Rugby Championship campaign on a high.
But according to experienced prop Steven Kitshoff the tourists need a display of similar quality to that seen on the Gold Coast in October to leave London with the spoils.
“This is our last chance this year to make our presence felt and it’s a great opportunity to build momentum going into the 2022 season and to maintain our no.1 spot in the world,” said Kitshoff.
“This is very important to us, so we want to play as well as possible this weekend.
“They are a physical side, they can play with ball in hand, and they have a good kicking game as well as set pieces. We know what we need to do and we want to tick all the boxes we need to tick going into this match.”
"World Rugby must be extremely thankful that the experienced TMO stopped a couple of real howlers which could have materially changed the outcome of the match."
?? Former ref Paul Smith looks back at #walvfijihttps://t.co/o94pNRgfle— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 15, 2021
The scrum is always a big part of any England-South Africa contest and following South Africa’s recent set-piece domination of Wales it again looks likely to play a big part in determining the outcome of Saturday’s test.
England’s scrum coach Matt Proudfoot is a recent former Springboks forwards coach, but Kitshoff believes his team’s methods have changed significantly since Proudfoot’s last involvement in 2019.
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“Matt played a similarly big role to the other coaches in the team winning the Rugby World Cup in 2019,” he said.
“Obviously having worked with some of us from a young age (at the Stormers and later with the Springboks) he knows us very well.
“But that said, we’ve grown as a team in the last few years and we’ll be doing our homework just as they will going into this game, so we’ll go out there and do our best.”
At the same press conference assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed there are no new injury concerns for the Springboks ahead of the England game.
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He went on to challenge his players to end a lengthy season which began with a conditioning camp in Bloemfontein in June on a high note.
“It’s always special to play against England at Twickenham and we are in a position in which we can carry some momentum into the final Test on tour and hopefully finish the year on a high note,” he said.
“It would certainly be a great reward for the players to finish off such a challenging season with a victory against England.
Bok fans are raging over the snub ?#Springboks #Bokke #AutumnNationsSeries https://t.co/UCc1O6cIkm
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 15, 2021
“England are a quality side and they have a good coach in Eddie Jones.
“It’s going to be a challenging game, and as a team, we’d like to build on the lessons learned in the Tests against Wales and Scotland.
“We know we have to be focused and task orientated this week, and we will place a big emphasis on our structures and systems.
“England will present unique challenges in different areas of the game, but we know where we need to improve, and we’d like to build on the momentum we achieved in the last two games.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
4 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
4 Go to comments