The Springboks are going to “spread the load” according to assistant coach Feliz Jones in Sunday’s Rugby World Cup Pool B second clash against Romania in Bordeaux on Sunday.
Coming off a hard-fought 18-3 in over Scotland in their World Cup opener last weekend, the world champions now face minnows Romania, who lost 82-8 to Ireland in their first clash, before tackling Ireland next week and then Tonga.
Not wanting to risk injury to one of their big guns ahead of next week’s key clash against the world’s top-ranked team, Jones says: “One of the big focus areas for us this year has been to manage player load. Obviously, we want to win every week, but we have a quality squad in which the players are pushing one another for places, so we may make a few rotations.
Felix Jones on Romania: "They are a passionate team, and they won’t take a step back in their physicality" - more here: https://t.co/ZHJNNjm8Vf 🇷![CDATA[]]>🇴#Springboks #StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/9xNgwPTQbU
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 12, 2023
“It’s important for us to balance the load, so should we progress in the competition we have a squad that is match fit, which will allow us to call on any player at any time when we need them.”
Jones says the changes don’t mean they take Romania for a gat.
He adds: “We’ll treat the match against Romania as we do every other game.
“The most important thing is to give ourselves an opportunity to win the match and then we’ll see how things pan out.
“Their coach spoke directly to their fans at home after their last match and said they wanted to make their nation proud. They are a passionate team, and they won’t take a step back in their physicality. They also have good backs and an impressive distance kicking game, so there are plenty of threats they pose.”
Coach Jacques Nienaber will name his side for the clash on Wednesday night.