The Springboks are set to confront hosts France in a mouthwatering Rugby World Cup quarterfinal at a jam-packed Stade de France in Paris this evening (9pm).
This promises to be yet another tough test for the defending champions and one they need to overcome if they are to keep alive their hopes of hanging on to their crown.
Les Bleus are fired up heading into the titanic encounter and will be determined to match the physicality that the Springboks will bring to the match.
France progressed to the knockout stage having topped Pool A unbeaten after four wins that included a historic victory against the All Blacks in the opening match.
The Springboks, on the other hand, finished second in Pool B behind world number one side Ireland against whom they lost their only match in the group stages.
Just like Ireland, France are a team on the up under the guidance of Fabien Galthie and are expected to push the three-time world champions hard in Paris for a place in the semi-finals.
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber is putting his faith in experience, naming 15 players who featured in the 2019 final in his squad to face Les Bleus.
In what was a tactical ploy, Nienaber waited until the last minute to announce his squad, bucking their recent trend of confirming their squad for an upcoming Test four days in advance of the encounter.
Captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe, are some of the players who featured in the final in 2019.
They will run on against Les Bleus in a side that only features two changes from the team that narrowly lost out against Ireland in their penultimate group match. “It’s going to be a massive clash for the players and supporters and we’re really excited about the prospect,” said Nienaber.
“We’ve been working towards this World Cup since 2018 and we can now book a place in the semifinal, so we have to go out there and give it everything.
“It’s do-or-die in the tournament, so we have to be accurate in executing our game plan and we have to capitalise on our opportunities because the margins will be small.”
