The Springboks are not burdened by the prospect of losing a fourth consecutive Test and are planning to rock up and play great dominant rugby against the All Blacks on Saturday, front row forward Steven Kitshoff said.
New Zealand coach Ian Foster has ratcheted up tension ahead of the clash at the Gold Coast, saying his unbeaten team have an opportunity to achieve a Grand Slam in the Rugby Championship by beating the Boks.
“We do not concern ourselves with what Ian [Foster] has said in the media or any of his commentary,” KItshoff said.
“The team are focused on preparing as well as possible.
“The losing sequence is not something we think about or discuss.
“We just want to rock up and play great rugby.
“SA back our style of play and we back our physical presence and the way we want to play on the field.
“The team back our leaders and we have full confidence in them.
“We have had a couple of unfortunate back-to-back weekends.
“It is not something we think about or talk about.
“Now we just want to pitch up on Saturday and deliver a dominant performance.
“We know how important this game is and every game of Test rugby.”
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber made two injury-enforced changes to his match-day squad, with Ox Nche earning a starting berth and Jasper Wiese being drafted in among the replacements.
“We made a big step-up in terms of our performance last week and having reviewed the match, there is no doubt we delivered a performance worthy of a victory,” Nienaber said.
“With that in mind we opted for continuity in our team, so the only change in the run-on side is Ox taking over in the front row after Frans [Malherbe] was ruled out.
“Trevor [Nyakane] is a seasoned campaigner who is equally comfortable at loose head and tighthead prop, and Ox is a strong scrummager, so we are looking forward to seeing what they can do in the scrums.
“We are bitterly disappointed about the results in the last few weeks and everyone in our team realises the importance of finishing the Rugby Championship on a winning note.
“Every member of the squad will have a role to play in ensuring that the players on the field are at their best on match day.
“We know it is going to take a colossal 80-minute effort, but the drive to succeed and motivation to win this weekend is as big as it gets.”
SA: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9, Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn.
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Boks will rock up and play great rugby, says Kitshoff
Rugby writer
Image: MATT ROBERTS/ GETTY IMAGES
The Springboks are not burdened by the prospect of losing a fourth consecutive Test and are planning to rock up and play great dominant rugby against the All Blacks on Saturday, front row forward Steven Kitshoff said.
New Zealand coach Ian Foster has ratcheted up tension ahead of the clash at the Gold Coast, saying his unbeaten team have an opportunity to achieve a Grand Slam in the Rugby Championship by beating the Boks.
“We do not concern ourselves with what Ian [Foster] has said in the media or any of his commentary,” KItshoff said.
“The team are focused on preparing as well as possible.
“The losing sequence is not something we think about or discuss.
“We just want to rock up and play great rugby.
“SA back our style of play and we back our physical presence and the way we want to play on the field.
“The team back our leaders and we have full confidence in them.
“We have had a couple of unfortunate back-to-back weekends.
“It is not something we think about or talk about.
“Now we just want to pitch up on Saturday and deliver a dominant performance.
“We know how important this game is and every game of Test rugby.”
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber made two injury-enforced changes to his match-day squad, with Ox Nche earning a starting berth and Jasper Wiese being drafted in among the replacements.
“We made a big step-up in terms of our performance last week and having reviewed the match, there is no doubt we delivered a performance worthy of a victory,” Nienaber said.
“With that in mind we opted for continuity in our team, so the only change in the run-on side is Ox taking over in the front row after Frans [Malherbe] was ruled out.
“Trevor [Nyakane] is a seasoned campaigner who is equally comfortable at loose head and tighthead prop, and Ox is a strong scrummager, so we are looking forward to seeing what they can do in the scrums.
“We are bitterly disappointed about the results in the last few weeks and everyone in our team realises the importance of finishing the Rugby Championship on a winning note.
“Every member of the squad will have a role to play in ensuring that the players on the field are at their best on match day.
“We know it is going to take a colossal 80-minute effort, but the drive to succeed and motivation to win this weekend is as big as it gets.”
SA: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9, Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn.
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