Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones expected Romania to deliver a passionate performance at Stade de Bordeaux when the teams meet on Sunday in their second Rugby World Cup pool encounter, highlighting several threats.
The Springboks returned to basics and the training field on Tuesday following their 18-3 victory against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday and, despite Romania being a lesser-known opponent, Jones said the Boks were determined to deliver a quality performance as they look to build momentum in the competition.
“We’ll treat the match against Romania as we do every other game,” said Jones.
“The most important thing is to give ourselves an opportunity to win the match and then we’ll see how things pan out.
“Their coach spoke directly to their fans at home after their last match and said they wanted to make their nation proud. They are a passionate team, and they won’t take a step back in their physicality. They also have good backs and an impressive distance kicking game, so there are plenty of threats they pose.”
The Boks may have showed signs that they were on the right trajectory with a satisfying victory against Scotland, but Jones said there were areas they wanted to improve for the rest of the campaign.
“I don’t think any coach or player will be completely happy with a performance,” said Jones. “As a team you want to work on improving things every week, but in general I believe we are moving in the right direction.”
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber will name his matchday squad for the clash on Wednesday evening, and Jones said player management could come into play this week.
“One of the big focus areas for us this year has been to manage player load,” said Jones. “Obviously, we want to win every week, but we have a quality squad in which the players are pushing one another for places, so we may make a few rotations.
“It’s important for us to balance the load, so should we progress in the competition we have a squad that is match fit, which will allow us to call on any player at any time when we need them.”
With an entertaining opening round of matches in the global spectacle now over, Jones said some of the results proved that it would be a thrilling RWC.
“One could certainly see the competitiveness of the Rugby World Cup coming out in the first round,” said Jones.
“Our match could have gone either way at a point, and the match between Wales and Fiji, as well as the game between England and Argentina were outstanding for the tournament and the spectators. In general, it was a great opening round for the World Cup.”