Wing is proud of the upcoming youngsters and the way the team is being built
23 August 2023 - 17:19
byGEORGE BYRON
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A new generation of brilliant young guns has given the Springboks added energy in the back division ahead of Friday’s World Cup warm-up against the All Blacks, wing Makazole Mapimpi says.
Mapimpi gets another opportunity to add to his imposing try tally when he faces New Zealand in what promises to be a bruising battle at Twickenham in London (kickoff 8.30pm).
One of the Bok heroes when they won the World Cup in Japan in 2019, Mapimpi has seen the rise to prominence of emerging talent such as Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse in the Test arena.
The experienced Mapimpi, with 23 tries and 38 Test caps to his credit, wants his name on the Bok team sheet when SA face Scotland in their opening World Cup game on September 10.
“More than anything, rugby is a sport, and I am kind of proud of the youngsters,” Mapimpi said. “It is like that in rugby and we are waiting for the guys coming up. So we are building the team and going forward because they have a lot of energy.
“It is a good thing, and it is very important for me that the guys are doing well. It is not about me; it is about the team.
“Playing against the All Blacks is always exciting. It is always a good challenge ... Now we are meeting here in England so it will be a split of 50/50 among the fans at Twickenham. We have a chance to play the All Blacks before the World Cup and we might be playing against them in the quarterfinals.
“Everyone in the squad is excited about the game here in London on Friday.”
Bok hardman Eben Etzebeth said the match will be played at full throttle even though it is classified as a warm-up.
“It’s the Springboks vs All Blacks and we are going to give everything to win,” he said.
“Playing for your country, the Springbok jersey, and playing in a neutral environment at one of the best stadiums in the world in front of 80,000 people against our biggest rival, the All Blacks — if you asked any one of them, they would give the same answer.
“We will worry about the World Cup after Friday. If it goes well that builds confidence going to the World Cup.”
Asked about the shaky start in Auckland when the Boks trailed 17-0 after 16 minutes in a Rugby Championship clash, Etzebeth said: “We need to switch on from the start. They came with a huge start out of the blocks in Auckland. In those 20 minutes, they were a better team than us. We are preparing better this week, to also make that quicker and better start.
“Last year, there were one or two games where they weren’t at their best, but all the good teams go through a dip. I always knew they would come back. They are one of the better teams in the world. It’s great to see them doing well.
“This World Cup is going to be one of the most competitive there has ever been, because there are so many teams doing well, putting up their hands to go on and win this year.”
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has made eight personnel changes and one positional switch to his starting line-up for the final warm-up game.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Young guns give Boks new energy, says Mapimpi
Wing is proud of the upcoming youngsters and the way the team is being built
A new generation of brilliant young guns has given the Springboks added energy in the back division ahead of Friday’s World Cup warm-up against the All Blacks, wing Makazole Mapimpi says.
Mapimpi gets another opportunity to add to his imposing try tally when he faces New Zealand in what promises to be a bruising battle at Twickenham in London (kickoff 8.30pm).
One of the Bok heroes when they won the World Cup in Japan in 2019, Mapimpi has seen the rise to prominence of emerging talent such as Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse in the Test arena.
The experienced Mapimpi, with 23 tries and 38 Test caps to his credit, wants his name on the Bok team sheet when SA face Scotland in their opening World Cup game on September 10.
“More than anything, rugby is a sport, and I am kind of proud of the youngsters,” Mapimpi said. “It is like that in rugby and we are waiting for the guys coming up. So we are building the team and going forward because they have a lot of energy.
“It is a good thing, and it is very important for me that the guys are doing well. It is not about me; it is about the team.
“Playing against the All Blacks is always exciting. It is always a good challenge ... Now we are meeting here in England so it will be a split of 50/50 among the fans at Twickenham. We have a chance to play the All Blacks before the World Cup and we might be playing against them in the quarterfinals.
“Everyone in the squad is excited about the game here in London on Friday.”
Bok hardman Eben Etzebeth said the match will be played at full throttle even though it is classified as a warm-up.
“It’s the Springboks vs All Blacks and we are going to give everything to win,” he said.
“Playing for your country, the Springbok jersey, and playing in a neutral environment at one of the best stadiums in the world in front of 80,000 people against our biggest rival, the All Blacks — if you asked any one of them, they would give the same answer.
“We will worry about the World Cup after Friday. If it goes well that builds confidence going to the World Cup.”
Asked about the shaky start in Auckland when the Boks trailed 17-0 after 16 minutes in a Rugby Championship clash, Etzebeth said: “We need to switch on from the start. They came with a huge start out of the blocks in Auckland. In those 20 minutes, they were a better team than us. We are preparing better this week, to also make that quicker and better start.
“Last year, there were one or two games where they weren’t at their best, but all the good teams go through a dip. I always knew they would come back. They are one of the better teams in the world. It’s great to see them doing well.
“This World Cup is going to be one of the most competitive there has ever been, because there are so many teams doing well, putting up their hands to go on and win this year.”
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has made eight personnel changes and one positional switch to his starting line-up for the final warm-up game.
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