Cheslin Kolbe says the world champion Springboks are on guard to the threat posed by ‘underdogs’ Australia with head coach Eddie Jones back at the helm.
Jones will start his second tenure with the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld in July when their Rugby Championship kicks off against the Springboks in Pretoria.
Australia slumped to sixth in the World Rugby rankings after a disappointing 2022 tour of the northern hemisphere but despite their poor run of results, Kolbe said the Wallabies would be formidable challengers to Boks’ World Cup title in September
Speaking during a media event in Centurion this week, the Bok pocket rocket told IOL Sport: “A lot has transpired in the international market regarding coaches moving around.
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“[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 is to be the underdogs, and not going in as the favourites.
He added: “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.”
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The Boks’ 2023 World Cup pool opponents Scotland and Ireland also look ominous in the Six Nations, yet Kolbe has backed SA’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber to mastermind a plan for the northern rivals.
He added: “Both Ireland and Scotland have been incredible in the Six Nations and it is wide open for any of those teams to win.
“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 and coach 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.”