Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg was adamant on Tuesday that the Boks will not take their challenge against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday lightly, and said they expected a massive onslaught from a determined home team in their final game of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
Despite Wales being ranked 11th in the world and winning only two of their 10 matches this season, the nippy Bok scrumhalf said they knew what the hosts were capable of after lining up against many of their players in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
“They are such tough and competitive players, and they are not afraid of anything,” said Van den Berg, who plays for the Lions.
“They chase lost causes, so the experience we’ve gained from the Vodacom URC is that they are guys who are willing to fight for each other, and they’ll certainly get together and want to put up a massive fight this weekend.”
With both teams missing a bunch of players due to the match falling outside of the international window, Van den Berg said that although it would be difficult to predict how they would cope with it, the Boks had no doubt it would be a big game for the Welsh.
“Their team may not have played together much, so it’s difficult to say how they’ll react to it, but no matter what team they select, they are going to be ready to give everything,” he said.
“They have a lot of quality players, and I’ve played against some of them in the Vodacom URC, and they are very talented, so we know what to expect from some of their individuals. We will certainly not take this match lightly.”
With Grant Williams being one of the players who returned to their unions and clubs after the Boks’ 24-13 victory against Ireland last Saturday, Van den Berg said he hoped to grab the opportunity with both hands if he was selected in Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ team, which will be announced on Thursday.
“Personally, I’d just like to contribute to the team,” he said.
“All the players have done their best to add to the structure this year, so if I get the chance to play, that will be my main goal.”
Zooming in on the match, Van den Berg said the Boks hoped to go out there and give their best as they do in every Test match: “For us, it’s about building and getting better each week. We are preparing as well as we can, and we want to go out there and give it a full go.”
The scrumhalf was also full of praise for the six South Africans named in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team on Tuesday – Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Cheslin Kolbe.
“They are amazing rugby players, and it’s a massive privilege to see how they train each day and carry themselves on the field, but it’s also been great to get to know them off the field,” said Van den Berg.
“They are amazing people and deserve all the credit that comes their way, so I’d like to congratulate them. The exciting part is that we can expect so much more from them in future, so I’m keen to see how they, and the rest of the team, go, moving forward.
“I think there would have been a few guys who just missed out on it, and I’m also excited to see how their journeys go in the next few years.”