Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok can’t wait for the Springboks to kick off their World Cup campaign after arriving in Corsica, the first stop in the buildup to their title defence.
The Boks landed on the Mediterranean island on Saturday and had time off until Monday to rest and recover following their record-breaking 35-7 win over the All Blacks at Twickenham.
The world champions returned to the training field on Monday in hot and humid conditions, which Reinach believes will benefit them immensely before they travel to their World Cup warm-up base in Toulon.
“Corsica has been good so far,” said Reinach. “The weather is unbelievable and very different to London. It’s good to finally get here and get used to the conditions we are going to face in France.
“It’s a little humid. When we first arrived, we had to shower a few times, so it’s something we have to get used to.”
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Libbok also spoke of the conditions, saying: “It’s hot over here, but it’s good for our preparation because we are expecting similar conditions in Toulon.
“It’s a unique and beautiful island, and we are enjoying being here. This is an important week for us, and we are looking forward to getting our preparations in place for the match against Scotland.”
With the team’s opening World Cup clash less than two weeks away, Reinach said the players are excited about the challenge and raring to go.
“It’s been a long wait with a lot of games in between with the Rugby Championship and our warm-up matches,” said Reinach.
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“But the boys are very eager and excited to get started. We had our first training session on Monday, and you could see the energy is there and everyone is very excited.”
Both Libbok and Reinach echoed head coach Jacques Nienaber’s sentiments that although the victory against New Zealand gave them confidence, it didn’t offer the South Africans much more than that, as the results that count will be at the World Cup.
“The clash against New Zealand was good, but it doesn’t count for anything,” said Reinach. “The Rugby World Cup only starts now. Each game from now on is important, and there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
The Boks will kick off their RWC campaign on Sunday, 10 September against Scotland in Marseille, and will meet Romania (17 September), Ireland (23 September) and Tonga (1 October) in their remaining pool matches in Bordeaux, Paris, and Marseille respectively.
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter