Injury-hit Springboks ‘fully focused’ on Romania despite wholesale changes
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South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber speaking to captain Siya Kolisi during a training session ahead of their second Rugby World Cup Pool B match against Romania.
PHOTO: AFP
BORDEAUX – Holders South Africa are “fully focused” on Sunday’s Rugby World Cup clash with Romania, in spite of injuries to two of their leading players.
The Springboks have had negative news about hooker Malcom Marx
Marx will miss the remainder of the defence of their title while Etzebeth is out until the build-up to their third Pool B match against world No. 1 Ireland next Saturday.
But coach Jacques Nienaber said Marx’s tournament-ending knee injury had not had an impact on preparations for the Romania game in Bordeaux.
“When the injury happened, it didn’t affect our team going into this match at all,” he said.
“We’re fully focused on Romania because we should show them that respect. It’s only the second time we’ve played them in a World Cup, so it’s a special game for us.
“We should also show that respect to the players that we selected to play in that match. So we’re not talking about anything other than Romania.”
Nienaber has made wholesale changes to face the 19th-ranked side in the world known as The Oaks.
He has named four scrum-halves in his match-day squad, with Grant Williams on the wing and Faf de Klerk covering fly-half on the bench.
The coach has only Damian Willemse and the rested Manie Libbok as his options in the No. 10 shirt.
“I’m not being disrespectful to Romania but it’s an opportunity to try him (de Klerk) out in a Test match under pressure at 10, he’s trained there for us numerous times,” Nienaber added.
“We’ve said Faf is our third-choice fly-half but this is a nice opportunity to give him a run at 10, controlling the game at 10 at Test-match level.”
The Boks are expected to post a healthy score in the late-summer heat on the Atlantic coast against a side who reached the tournament only after Spain were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player, South African-born prop Gavin van den Berg.
Nienaber’s team also face Tonga in a tight pool, with places for the quarter-finals at a premium.
“Points difference might come into this pool but the first thing is to bank the win,” he said.
“But there is definitely some technical and tactical stuff that we can get out of this game.
“Getting some first World Cup Test matches into some players, getting used to the pressure, which is different to any other competition, that exposure will be great.”
Romania are looking for a first World Cup victory since 2015 and Andre Gorin makes his tournament debut on the flank, less than three months from his 36th birthday.
At the other end of the experience scale, coach Eugen Apjok has handed an opportunity to 14 players aged 26 or younger for the match.
“We know what we’re expecting, it’s a chance to play against big nations who we don’t play every day,” Gorin said.
“We can’t make a points objective, just try to do better than last week (82-8 thrashing by Ireland), but supporting the youngsters as well.” AFP
