Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and head coach Jacques Nienaber will be hoping that their side gets off to the best possible start in their World Cup opener against Scotland on Sunday. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The Springboks are feeling the love in their home base of Toulon ahead of their opening Rugby World Cup clash with Scotland in Marseille on Sunday night.
The Boks have been training in the city for the past week and have received a ton of support from South Africans and locals alike, which has boosted their morale and given them plenty of confidence heading into the crucial match.
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Coach Jacques Nienaber said that the team was feeding off of the positivity and vibe around the city and that the team would be able to ride that momentum into the match against the Scots.
“The local people here in Toulon have really embraced us as a team. When we go to the different training venues there are hoots and waves and cheers. The people are incredible,” said Nienaber.
“A World Cup always has a vibe. When I was part of my first World Cup in 2011 in New Zealand, that’s the thing that blew me away, the whole excitement from the fans and the people streaming into the towns where you’re going to play.
“When we walked back from training on Thursday, there were South Africans sitting here in front (of the hotel) cheering. It’s nice to see the support … World Cups are always incredible.”
Inspirational Bok captain Siya Kolisi was also effusive in his praise for the French rugby fans, explaining that the team was excited to be back playing at the Stade Velodrome and that they were looking forward to a fantastic experience again.
The Boks played France at the stadium on last year’s end-of-year-tour and were edged 30-26 in the match, but whereas they played in front of a very partisan crowd on that occasion, they should have a lot more support this time round.
“It was probably one of the best atmospheres I have ever played in outside South Africa. How close and how tight the Velodrome is, it’s really amazing. I’ve heard from soccer players how intense it is when they go play there in an away game but I saw it myself,” said Kolisi.
“I think everybody should get that experience to play there. It’s obviously different when you play against France, it was just next level, but it was beautiful.”
Following this weekend’s match against Scotland the Boks take on Romania, Ireland and Tonga in their other pool games.
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