The Springboks have dealt with the disappointment of their heart-breaking 13-8 defeat against Ireland in Paris on Saturday. The Boks made the journey from Paris back to their base in Toulon by train on Sunday and had Monday off to rest and recover.
Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith was realistic about the defeat against Ireland and said the team would get down to business again this week and work as hard as possible to advance to the top eight.
“All supporters of the Springboks might feel disappointed, but we are also disappointed in losing that game," said Smith. “We had a lot of opportunities and we didn’t use those opportunities, which cost us the game. We take the learnings from that and we make sure that it doesn’t happen again because from here on there’s no opportunity to slip up.”
“But the sun is shining today. It wasn’t a match to win the Rugby World Cup. We have Tonga next, and it’s going to be a physical battle. We want to earn five points from the game so we can go through to the quarter-final.”
Smith said the Springboks are expecting a massive onslaught from Tonga: “They have probably one of the heaviest packs in the competition and they bring a massive hit in the scrums,” said Human. “They did well to put Ireland under pressure there, so it will be a big battle.”
"We’ll need intensity this weekend against Tonga. Tonga is a physical side and they’re really hard players to play against so we’ve got to be ready.”
Smith also spoke highly of their players: “They are a physical side. In the 50th minute against Scotland, the score was still tight, so we know it’s going to be a tough battle. I play with a few Tongan players in Japan and have played against a few too, so I know how physical they will be.”
Smith said the Springboks will be chasing the bonus point against Tonga: “We know we need to get those five points, so we will go into that game with the mindset of getting a bonus point. For us also, they’re a physical team so to play against them will be great for us to know that our physicality is also at the highest level.”
