Johannesburg — The challenges to the Springboks’ world champion crown will be coming thick and fast in the months ahead, as World Rugby prepares for their showpiece event to be hosted in France later this year.
First up, however, the Boks will have to navigate the Rugby Championship, facing Australia, New Zealand and Argentina — in that order — throughout July. Thereafter warm-up matches against the Pumas, Wales and the All Blacks follow before the Boks start their defence of the Webb Ellis Trophy in their opening match of the tournament against Scotland on September 10.
A fit and in-form Cheslin Kolbe will certainly be involved in all of that action and beyond, and while speaking to IOL Sport on Wednesday, he gave some insight into those teams ahead of the coming months.
The Wallabies, for example, have reinstated the effervescent Eddie Jones as head coach — a move that will have an impact on the embattled Aussies. The All Black, meanwhile, are quietly going about their business, seemingly flying under the radar — a proposition that Kolbe believes will make them even more dangerous.
“A lot has transpired in the international market regarding coaches moving around,” Kolbe said at the Momentum offices in Centurion, where he engaged with the media as ambassador of the organisation's One More Fan campaign.
“(Jones) is well respected across the world with what he has done and all the success he has achieved in the past. I am sure he will do well with the Wallabies; he is familiar with the set-up and he has been there before as well.
“It’s good for them.
“The best thing to do going into a World Cup,” the 29-year-old added, “is to be the underdogs and not going in as the favourites.
“You can never write the All Blacks off. They are a team that can destroy you at any time. If you are not up for the challenge, you are in for a long time.
“Not having all the expectations on a team, that is when the best comes out. That is when you want to prove a point.”
On reflection that might then also be advantageous to the Boks, who are currently ranked No 4 in World Rugby’s rankings. The pressure of expectation heading into the World Cup is currently focussed on Ireland and France.
The Irish, alongside an equally impressive Scotland, will be in Pool B with South Africa at the event, with Tonga and Romania completing the group. Murrayfield will host Scotland and Ireland in a Six Nations clash on Sunday, an encounter that will be of particular importance to South Africa.
Regardless, Kolbe is “100%” confident that the Boks have what it takes to escape their World Cup group and go on to defend their title.
“Both Ireland and Scotland have been incredible in the Six Nations and it is wide open for any of those teams to win,” he mused.
“They are two teams that are playing incredibly well, who are well structured and that can keep the ball. We know the challenges that we are going to be facing in the pool stages with Ireland and Scotland, but we have played them in the past.
“We know what to expect and what brings a little bit more input is that coach Rassie (Erasmus) and coach (Jacques) Nienaber have coached in Ireland before, and I am sure they know what the Irish boys are all about.
"Every game is different, and they are going to be two massive games for us to win.”
IOL Sport