Wing Cheslin Kolbe says this current Springbok squad has “much more depth” than what they had when they won the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
Gearing up to face Wales in their second-last warm-up match ahead of the tournament - with the All Blacks lying in wait at Twickenham next week - Kolbe says the reason they don’t skrik for injuries in these “friendlies” is because they are actually a scary unit themselves.
The 29-year-old believes that should any of their players go down against Wales or New Zealand, they’ll just bring in an equally good player.
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He explains: “We’ve got much more depth than what we had back in 2019.
“I must say it’s actually scary to see what kind of depth and players we have. If someone gets injured, whoever comes in and fills the gap is more than capable to even do better.”
The Kraaifontein-born star is adamant that everyone wholeheartedly bought into their “stronger together” motto, saying: “The nice thing about this team is no one is bigger than the next person and whoever gets the opportunity to play, we encourage that person to give him confidence and make sure that he is well prepared.”
Kolbe will play on the left wing on Saturday, partnering 20-year-old youngster Canan Moodie and veteran fullback Willie le Roux, 33, in the SA back three and while they have one eye on the World Cup, he says this match is their primary focus for now.
He explains: “Our main focus is Wales and the games that follow after that.
“Wales are an important match for us in terms of building to the World Cup. And that’s how we need to prepare… we don’t look too far ahead, we’re just focusing on this weekend only.”