The Springbok Women’s Nadine Roos said that coach Swys de Bruin said that the performing players will be rewarded when selecting the line-up for the quarter-final on Saturday at 14:00 (SA Time) in Exeter against the current world champions, New Zealand Ferns.
"It's a playoff game, the squad consists of 32 players, and Swys de Bruin pretty much made it very clear for us at the start of this World Cup campaign that the jersey's up for everyone. If you perform, you will get your spot starting or on the bench, and if you don't perform and do what they expect of you, then of course, you're going to miss out.
"So even though there were nine players rested, it doesn't mean their spot is secured for the playoffs. It's a tough one for the coaches, so it's up to them who they're going to select for the quarterfinals. It’s also good for those players to rest because if they get the opportunity, they're going to be fresh coming in this week, which will also be a massive positive for the team because you need that energy to drag you through a playoff like that."
On scoring the try in the final minute, Roos said: "The spirit was quite high after we scored that last try. It was good finishing off this game with a try. You always need those little victories in the game, and we had good moments where we celebrated those victories, and this try was that last victory.
"These are the teams that we want to play against. Celebrating those small victories in the game, it's really important for us, getting used to this type of game, this type of pressure."
On the match against France, Roos said: "Firstly, well done to the girls for still sticking their heads out, staying in the fight. It's never nice standing behind your posts, looking at each other, being like, “OK, what happened there?”. It’s obviously not nice losing a game; that's never part of the plan, but unfortunately, it can't always be a win.
"I always just try and fight for this jersey, fight for the team, fight for the players next to me, and fight for my country because I don't like it when teams score easily against us. I'm a very competitive person. I believe if you ask my teammates, they will say the same. So for me, all about that, it doesn't matter how tired I am; it's not about me. It's about the team."