Durban — The Springboks are likely to spring some running rugby on the French in Marseille on Saturday, according to winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, while flank Pieter-Steph du Toit added that the forwards understand they can’t combat their opponents with brute force.
The Wallabies almost beat France in Paris by throwing caution to the wind and while the Boks are unlikely to be as cavalier, they do see the benefit of avoiding an arm wrestle with the powerful French pack.
“France are on a hot streak, they have won 11 games and they have the heaviest forward pack in world rugby, so we can’t rely on brute strength because they will match us,” Du Toit said. “So we have a few different plans that will hopefully work for us. We need to surprise them with a few things.”
Du Toit added that the Bok forwards will be better than they were in Dublin last week where they deviated from their predetermined plan.
“We were disappointed with how the pack went in Dublin, we did not do what we said we were going to do,” the flanker said. “But we have a good vibe for this weekend and are excited about doing things a little differently.
“We feel we have a big performance in us this week, it has to be a big one if we hope to stop their streak.”
Sitting next to Du Toit in the press conference was Arendse and he added that sometimes the best form of defence on Saturday against the expected aerial bombardment will be attack.
Coach Jacques Nienaber has picked an attacking back three that has Willie le Roux back at fullback and nippy wings in Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, with Makazole Mapimpi dropping to the bench for this one.
“We have been preparing well for France,” Arendse said. “We know they are going to kick a lot. We have been focusing on receiving plenty of kicks.
“Willie and Cheslin, with their experience, have been helping me so much with what to expect and how to handle it. We are prepared so we must just take it to France and not hold back.”
Arendse said the Boks had taken careful note of how the Wallabies caught the French off guard.
“We know that they don’t want to tire their heavy forwards,” he said. “So we will try to look for the running option and look to exploit them on the outside.”
But the French are not only about their massive forwards and in halfbacks Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack they have two slippery customers.
“We will handle whatever they throw at us,” the 26-year-old said. “And with the ball in hand, we also have a good kicking game plan that has served us well this year.
“Things might change on the day. We must be up for whatever France decides to bring. We have to be ready to adapt and handle it.”
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