WeeklySA_AdminDefining moment: Surprise package Os Lobos want to cement their a place among the second-tier contenders
By Sports Reporter
Portugal captain Tomas Appleton and fullback Manuel Cardoso Pinto are relishing the “dream” opportunity of facing the world champion Springboks in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Os Lobos have emerged as a surprise package in world rugby, fuelled by their remarkable showing at the 2023 Rugby World Cup – the draw against Georgia, when Os Lobos claimed their first tournament point in World Cup history, and then a stunning 24-23 win against Fiji.
Their historic clash against the Boks in Bloemfontein promises to be a defining moment, as they seek to cement a place among the second-tier contenders, and Appleton addressed the significance of this match in a wide-ranging interview with Rugby365.
“It’s massive, playing against double world champions,” he told Rugby365. “It’s so big for us as a developing union. For some of us players, we are playing against guys that we are used to seeing on the television.
“They are the guys that influence our game style and the way we want to play.
“You don’t want to put them on a pedestal, as we are conscious that we want to show the world that we are taking this very seriously.
“And we want to shock the world every time we step onto the pitch.”
Appleton’s sentiments were echoed by Pinto, who addressed the formidable challenge posed by a new-look Bok lineup this week.
Rassie Erasmus named an overhauled matchday squad captained for the first time by Salmaan Moerat and featuring seven debutants for Saturday’s Test at Free State Stadium.
“South Africa has a lot of options. Even if it is not their first-choice team, it will be a difficult challenge for Portugal,” Pinto was quoted by Netwerk24.
“Sometimes it’s more difficult to play against the second team, because the players want to prove something. They will want to show they can be considered for the preferred team.
“It’s the biggest challenge of my life to play against the No. 1 team in the world. It’s like a dream. I’ve watched some of these players on television since I was a kid.”
ssie Erasmus has cut the Springbok squad from 41 to 25 players as preparations for the historic Test against Portugal wrapped up on Wednesday.
According to a press release from SA Rugby, the decision has been made to give a group of players a well-deserved break before the Boks regroup for the 2024 Rugby Championship.
The players released are Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese (all loose forwards), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp (all props), Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx (both hookers), Willie le Roux (fullback), Cheslin Kolbe (wing), Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Handre Pollard (flyhalf) and Jesse Kriel (centre).
The two players providing cover for the 23-man squad named for the historic clash against Os Lobos are prop Ox Nche and utility back Grant Williams.
“We have a demanding Rugby Championship campaign coming up, and we’ve been in training camps and competition respectively since June, so we thought it would be beneficial to give the players who are not playing this weekend a proper break to regenerate,” said Erasmus.
“The players have Thursday off and we only have the captains run left on Friday before the match, so it makes sense to give the players not involved in the match some time off.
“We are playing back-to-back Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia next month, and then we face New Zealand on successive weekends in South Africa, followed by a short tour to Argentina and then a trip to Nelspruit where we will conclude the tournament against Los Pumas, so we have to be sensible in how we manage the players to get the most out of them on the field.”
Commenting on the decision to retain only two players as injury cover in the squad, Erasmus added: “Bloemfontein is only a flight away if we need additional cover, and since we had a big group of players who are all fully clued up on what we expect from Portugal, so believe this is the best decision for the team.”
