Martin Lange / Photo credit: THOMAS SAMSON / AFP
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3:51 p.m., October 12, 2023
Three days before the heated France-South Africa, Europe 1 was able to attend the Springboks’ training this Thursday in Croissy-sur-Seine in Yvelines, just 3km from Rueil-Malmaison where the Blues have established their base camp . Studious, the reigning world champions rehearsed their ranges before battling it out on Sunday evening.
For the Springboks, going home on Sunday evening is out of the question. The South Africans, reigning world champions, are preparing with seriousness and determination for this quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup which will pit them against the French XV on Sunday evening (9 p.m.). Europe 1 was able to attend one of the Boks’ training sessions, in Croissy-sur-Seine in Yvelines.
A town located just 3km from Rueil-Malmaison where the Blues have established their base camp. Only the Seine separates the two cities. Studiously, the Sud-Af’ repeated their ranges: touches for the forwards and candles for the backs, these kicks very high in the sky, one of the specialties of the game of the triple world champions. Their scrum-half Faf de Klerk, one of the multiple assets of this team, chained together these long sequences, blonde hair blowing in the wind.
Boks less serene?
If these Boks appeared relaxed at first glance, their former coach, Johan Erasmus, now director of rugby, increased the pressure at the start of the week. He accused the Blues of benefiting from in-house arbitration. “The French are not reckless or too physical. They don’t really make high tackles, but when they are close to one, they show it very well to the referee. I think they add more, that “They fake it sometimes. But it’s smart and they do it very well,” he said.
An outing that the XV of France preferred not to comment on, but which reflects a slight lack of serenity on the South African side. They, who are used to communicating their team composition very early in the week, will this time wait until the last minute, probably this Friday, in order to adapt to the French strategy.