WATCH: Messages of support stream in for Boks ahead of World Cup

The Springboks will successfully defend their title and become the first team to win the Rugby World Cup four times.

This was the view of some junior players at Benoni Northerns Rugby Club, who sent well wishes to the Boks during the Valke Junior Rugby tournament at Northerns on September 2.

The three-time World Cup winners begin their title defence against Scotland at Stade Velodrome in Marseille on September 10 at 17:45 (SA time).

If the Jacques Nienaber side’s title defence is successful, the Boks will become only the second team to win back-to-back titles, after New Zealand, who won at home in 2011 and again in England in 2015.

Currently tied on three titles with the All Blacks, if the Boks win, they will become the first team in history to win the tournament four times.

Young flanker CJ Otto (10) said France was a happy hunting ground for the Boks.

He said Nienaber’s men should take motivation from the 2007 Springboks, who lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy at Stade de France after beating England in the final.

Otto, whose role model is retired winger and member of the 2007 squad Bryan Habana, urged the country to support the Boks, adding that the team’s warm-up matches results were encouraging after a disappointing Rugby Championship in June and July.

“We are going to win and defend our title. The Boks are going to clean the rucks, defend and attack well to get us through,” he said.

Otto’s teammate, Frans Nkwana, said the Boks’ 35-7 annihilation of New Zealand at Twickenham in a warm-up match showed the South Africans meant business.

The nine-year-old said if the Springboks continued where they left off against the All Blacks, they would be in the final on October 28 at Stade de France and repeat what Jake White’s team did there in 2007.

“I hope the Springboks do well. Hopefully, none of the guys sustain serious injuries. Because we have just beaten the All Blacks, I think we will do good.

“We are going to defend our title because we have a strong squad,” said Nkwana.

Another youngster, nine-year-old Reagan Maritz, said he was confident Siya Kolisi and company would have a good tournament.

He said, “They are going to do great. They are going to clean the rucks. The Boks need to play good rugby, and I hope it will be an injury-free tournament.”

Andries Fouchee, who has witnessed all the Springboks’ World Cup wins, urged Benonians to rally behind them on Sunday.

“We have to back the Boks so that they become the first team to win the World Cup four times. I am confident we will do well, especially after our success in the warm-up games,” he said.

Fouchee said the 2019 final between the Boks and England in Japan held a special place in his heart. But his all-time Springboks moment was seeing Joel Stransky’s drop-goal that clinched the 1995 World Cup for SA in a tight final against New Zealand at Ellis Park.

“Seeing Francois [Pienaar] hold that trophy after the game was special. To the current squad, we back them all the way. From the pool games until the final, we will be rooting for them.”

South Africa pool A games:
• Scotland on September 10.
• Romania on September 17 – kick-off: 15:00 (SA time).
• Ireland on September 23 – kick-off: 21:00 (SA time).
• Tonga on October 1 – kick-off: 21:00 (SA time).

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