Boks must ‘shut out the noise’ against hosts France, says Mbonambi

Four years ago, en route to winning the Webb Ellis Cup, the Springboks eliminated the host nation Japan in the quarter-final, beating them 26-3 at the Ajinomoto Stadium.

The Boks played the role of the antagonist perfectly, shattering any hopes or dreams the Japanese people had of their team going all the way in the tournament.

How the national team asserted themselves on the day was devastating; the Brave Blossoms stood no chance.

When the match official blew the final whistle, Japan were bruised and battered, and there were tears in the stands.

Fast forward to the present Rugby World Cup happening in France, the Boks have been dealt similar cards as in Japan in 2019. They will take on the 2023 edition host nation France in the last eight on Sunday.

Again heading to Sunday’s match, like in Japan, the Springboks are the villains, as they stand between France winning their maiden World Cup on home soil.

‘Inspiring’ encounter

The position that the Boks find themselves in is one that they relish. It brings the best out in them.

Speaking on Thursday, front-row forward Bongi Mbonambi said taking on the host nation in a knockout game motivated the Springbok team.

“It is definitely very inspiring. We know we are the defending champions, and we know we have a huge task playing the host nation again in a quarter-final. It is very exciting,” Mbonambi said.

“That (Japan game) was four years ago. Rugby has changed – players are bigger, stronger, fitter.

“We will just take the atmosphere as it is. We played them in Marseille (last year), which was a very hostile atmosphere, so we have experience of that.

“It will be very important for us to shut out the noise. We need to make sure we execute our plan as a team.”

History in this fixture is on the side of the world champions.

In the 45 games played between the two nations, South Africa have won 27 matches, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup semifinal. France, meanwhile, have won only 12 encounters, with six draws along the way.

The last time the rugby powerhouses played at the Stade de France was in 2018 when the Boks came out on top with a 29-26 win.

Looking forward to this weekend’s game in Saint-Denis, however, Mbonambi acknowledged it would be different to 2018.

“It was 2018, a long time ago, but it was a special game in a special stadium. We know they are not the same team that they were then,” he said.

“They have been working hard. They have a good forwards pack, very well coached, so we are expecting a totally different challenge.”