Boks muscle up for forceful Tonga
09/27/2023 01:18 PM
Jacques Nienaber said that his team selection for the World Cup clash against Tonga was based around wanting the Springboks to physically match the Pacific Islanders.
Nienaber made no fewer than 12 changes to the side that took on Ireland, with only captain Siya Kolisi, lock Eben Etzebeth and No 8 Jasper Wiese retaining their places.
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Kolisi and Wiese are joined by veteran Duane Vermeulen in the back row, with the 37-year-old donning the No 7 jersey.
Meanwhile Andre Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie are recalled to resume their powerful midfield partnership and provide support to fit-again flyhalf Handre Pollard.
"This is a strong and physical team, which is exactly what need against a side like Tonga that plays with passion and force," said Nienaber.
"Each one of us understands the importance of this match with an eye on qualifying for the quarter-final, so accurate execution, physicality and doing our basics right will be vital to get the desired result."
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Nienaber expected a major physical challenge from Tonga: "They will enter with the mindset that they have nothing to lose after going down in their opening two matches of the tournament, so they won't hold back.
"They had impressive moments in their matches against Scotland and Ireland, so this will require a full 80-minute effort. The emphasis for us will be on doing what we need to do to progress out of the pool stages and to bounce back from last week and build momentum.
"We are still in the World Cup, and we know we have the players and skills to defend our title. We now need to transfer all the hard work at training into producing a top-quality performance," Nienaber added.
Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
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