Kitshoff: ‘Bok starters will empty the tank, give absolutely everything’

Springboks prop Steven Kitshoff says the forward pack know the onus is on them to put the team on the front foot in their Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks on Saturday night in Paris.

The defending champions have 15 forwards and eight backs in their team for the final at the Stade de France after the coaches opted for a 7-1 split between forwards and backs on the bench.

What it means is besides the eight starting forwards, sitting on the bench waiting for their turn to make an impact will be a further seven men, almost an entirely new and fresh pack: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, and Jasper Wiese.

Veteran Willie le Roux is the only backline cover on the bench.

Judging from the team selected and bench options, the Boks will play to their forwards’ strength, and look to dominate the set-pieces.

‘Opportunity to play 40 minutes’

The starting forwards of Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen will be tasked with setting the tone for the match and laying a foundation for the next batch of forwards.

“Rassie (Erasmus) and Jacques (Nienaber) had a meeting on Monday where they announced who was playing. They said it was going to come down to the forwards and the way we pitch up, giving a platform to the backs to show the magic and X-factor,” said Kitshoff when speaking to the media.

“We all know the brand and style the All Blacks play with and how dynamic they can be, but for us, it’s about our work rate, the physicality, the lineout, and maul.

“For us, we have the opportunity to play 40-45 minutes, it’s about absolutely emptying the tank and giving absolutely everything to make sure you leave nothing out there. It’s all about 80, 85, 100 minutes performance,” he said.

‘Historic game’

The Boks and All Blacks are both chasing a fourth World Cup win on Saturday. This will be the biggest game both sets of players have played in their careers as there’s a lot of history hanging on the result.

Kitshoff is expecting the pressure in the game to be high.

“We all know how good the All Blacks are and how well they’ve been playing,” said the experienced prop.

“This weekend is going to be exciting, different, a massive game, a historic game. The pressure is going to be immense but the atmosphere incredible.”