Steven Kitshoff reckons France are going to be the biggest “must-win” hurdle for Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks en route to a Nations Championship final spot this month.
The double World Cup winner was speaking on the For The Love Of Rugby: South Africa podcast ahead of the Boks’ clash against Italy in Turin on Saturday.
South Africa and France lead the southern and northern hemisphere standings respectively heading into the European leg of the competition. The final standings will decide opponents for the finals weekend at Twickenham from 27-29 November – first-placed northern hemisphere team versus first-placed southern hemisphere team.
The French have won one of their last five meetings with the Boks, in Marseille in 2022. Ex-England scrumhalf Ben Youngs suggested Les Bleus need to overcome the psychological scars of beating the Boks, particularly with the possibility of facing either SA or New Zealand in a 2027 World Cup semi-final.
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He also quizzed Kitshoff on whether Erasmus potentially views facing France and Ireland over the coming two weeks as a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup playoffs.
“If you do look at it that way, each game is a must-win all the way until finals weekend. It’s actually great prep for going into the World Cup next year,” Kitshoff said.
“Going into France, which is probably going to be the big one, the one that’s probably making us South Africans the most nervous is playing the French.
“But for me, if you take it like that and you just focus on each game as a must-win, as a final of its own, the Springboks are used to it, and that’s the way we did the 2019 World Cup: lost the first game against the All Blacks and just treated every game as a final. Similar to ’23 after losing against Ireland.
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“So the guys are getting used to it, and I think it will be mentioned within the camp that these games are must-wins for the Boks to end up on the Sunday in the finals.”
The former Bok prop added: “France are probably going to be the biggest hurdle for the South Africans as well.
“It’s a tough game. It’s a battle of attrition. It’s not just going to be a set-piece-focused game, there’s going to be tactical kicking. It’s going to be a game of who’s able to outsmart each other.”
Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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Steven Kitshoff reckons France are going to be the biggest “must-win” hurdle for Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks en route to a Nations Championship final spot this month.
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