Springboks are a settled squad this season, says Bongi Mbonambi

Although the squad is largely the same, the Springboks will have a completely different mindset as they head into the Rugby Championship and onto the World Cup, from the one that competed in both competitions back in 2019.

On that occasion the Boks went through the Rugby Championship unbeaten to win it, and then went on to lift their third World Cup trophy in Japan later in the year.

However, the group at that stage was relatively new and under a new coaching group of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber that had taken over from Alistair Coetzee in 2018.

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“Obviously four years ago it was a totally different story. We were a bunch of new players coming together with a new coaching staff and new plans. So it did take us longer than usual to prepare and to be aligned,” explained Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi.

“But now we are finding our rhythm, becoming aligned quicker, because we have known each other for four years. So we know what the coaches expect from us and as players we know what to expect from each other.

“We definitely are working harder because we know we can’t do the same things we did four years ago, because then you will fall off the bus. We are putting things in place and having the whole group together we are making sure we are aligned with the plan.”

Pressure to perform

With the Boks turning out as defending champions, a lot of expectations will be placed on them heading into both the Rugby Championship and the World Cup. But Mbonambi said the national team enjoyed and thrived off of that pressure.

“With South African fans we have expectations put on us in every single game we play, not just in a World Cup year. So we do feel those expectations,” said Mbonambi.

“But like coach Rassie always said, we don’t see playing for the Springboks as pressure, it’s an honour and a privilege. The pressure is just being a normal South African citizen from day to day.

“So when we go out there we do feel nervous but excited as well. We know the expectations that the fans put on us and we love it. I would rather have expectations put on us than not having any expectations, which would make life very boring.”

The Boks take on the Wallabies in the opening match of the Rugby Championship at Loftus next weekend, before traveling to New Zealand to face the All Blacks and then back to South Africa to take on Argentina at Ellis Park at the end of the month.