Bok pack gearing up for ‘physical’ battle against France, says Kitshoff

Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff says they are prepared for the physical battle France will bring in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final encounter on Sunday evening (9pm) at the Stade de France in Paris.

As per the norm, whenever teams face off against the Boks, they anticipate a huge physical battle and they want to match them in that aspect of the game.

Many teams have fronted up against South Africa physically but have ended up falling short because they couldn’t keep up with the sheer strength that the South Africans have.

When the Boks win the physical battle, they are almost guaranteed to end up winning the match. And this weekend against France, they will want to have the edge again when it comes to physicality.

However, France, who have a formidable pack, will attempt to stop them from gaining any physical momentum.

‘Big moments’

Looking ahead to the game, Kitshoff noted that they would have to be on top of their game as a pack because the French had some big men in their ranks.

“When teams play against the Springboks, they always talk about the physicality of the game.  We know France is going to bring a lot of physicality and it’s going to be quite interesting on Sunday,” Kitshoff said.

“France have a big pack and they live for big moments at the breakdown and turnovers. We need to make sure we nail down our details. When it comes to the big scrum battle, you’ve got to make sure you are mentally in there, get onto the front foot and get a lot of go-forward for the team.

 “There’s going to be a lot of physicality in the game and big collisions but it is something we have been preparing for since June, working hard on the way we tackle and the way we impose ourselves physically, so we are pitching up on Sunday.”

Strong pack

The world champions are at full strength in their forward line-up.

Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, and Frans Malherbe form the front row; Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert make up the second row; while the loose trio includes skipper Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen.

The Bok pack will be tasked with providing big hits against the French in the opening stanza and lay a foundation for the Bomb Squad in the second half.

Mostert, who played in the 2019 World Cup final, says they know what their mission is and the plan they have to get a win.

”We know France is a good side, with a big pack of forwards and lots of physicality.” he said.

“We know what’s going on and what we need to do to walk away with a win. Hopefully we can just do our job and stick with our plan.”