Though it was satisfying to thrash the All Blacks in a high-profile warm-up in London, the victory counts for nothing, Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach says.
The rampant Boks sent out a warning to their World Cup rivals when they registered a record 35-7 win over the Kiwis in front of a sell-out crowd of 82,000 in London.
SA have now moved to a training camp in Corsica and are hard at work under the Mediterranean sun as they prepare for their opening game against Scotland on September 10.
“The clash against New Zealand was good, but it doesn’t count for anything,” Reinach said. “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.
“Corsica has been good so far. The weather is unbelievable and very different from 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,” Reinach said.
“It’s been a long wait with a lot of games in between with the Rugby Championship and our warm-up matches. 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.”
Flyhalf Manie Libbok said conditions on the island are providing a perfect training base for the Boks.
“It’s hot over here, but it’s good for our preparation because we are expecting similar conditions in Toulon,” he said.
“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.”
Coach Jacques Nienaber is not paying attention to the world rankings after the Boks climbed to second spot after beating the All Blacks.
“We won’t even look at that,” Nienaber said. “Last time in 2019, I think we were not even in the top five, and we ended up winning the World Cup.
“The main thing about our win was to gain momentum. This win doesn’t give us one point in the World Cup. It was an opportunity to prepare us to go into it.
“The Corsica camp will be ideal for the players to adapt to the conditions in France while fine-tuning our preparations for our first World Cup game.
“We reaped the rewards of spending time in Japan before the 2019 World Cup, and hopefully this camp will be equally beneficial in getting the players used to the climate and culture in France.”
The five standby players who travelled with the team to the UK — Jean-Luc du Preez, Joseph Dweba, Handré Pollard, Lukhanyo Am and Thomas du Toit — have returned to their clubs. They are all on standby should the team suffer any injuries during the World Cup.
After their opening game against Scotland in Marseille, the Boks will meet Romania (September 17), Ireland (September 23) and Tonga (October 1) in their remaining pool matches in Bordeaux, Paris and Marseille, respectively.
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