Johannesburg — The Springbok women need to “shock the world” if they are to beat England and make it to the Cup playoffs, according to veteran scrumhalf Tayla Kinsey, one of four survivors of the 2014 Cup.
That was the last time the Boks were part of the global showpiece and also when they last won a match at a Cup, against Samoa in France.
“The format was completely different back then — you also played for final placings — while this time we are in a knock-out scenario with four teams going home after the pool stages,” said Kinsey.
“That puts pressure on the less established teams like us, as every game is a must win.
“We are still looking for that win that could progress us into the top eight and facing England is certainly not the easiest of tasks. It will confirm whether we go home or not.
“We need to shock the world and beat England in order for us to stay in the tournament, so that will be the first aim. Failing that, the second will be to show the world what brand of rugby we can play and how competitive we can be. We need to know how far we have come as a team and England will show us.”
Kinsey faced French superstar Laure Sansus in the opening game, but she is not really fazed by her direct foe on the day.
“We are playing a group of superstars in the England squad, so the trick is to not be over-awed and to rather believe in the team effort,” Sansus said.
“It will be a combined effort that will get us over the line, rather than individual ones. If each of us gives everything to the team, there will be a good game on offer.”
Kinsey said the defeat against Fiji was a learning curve.
“We are used to more structured set-ups but against Fiji, we encountered a style we had never faced before,” she said.
“Although we were a bit slow to adapt, we did come back and put ourselves in a position to win it with a minute to go.
“In the future, we can look back at this offloading style as we now have the experience of that.”
The result aside, Kinsey is hoping for a team effort from her side on Sunday. “The win will bring its own merits, but if not, I would like a performance that reflects our growth over the last year as that will provide building blocks for us going forward,” Kinsey said.
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