This Saturday’s match in Cape Town marks the first encounter between the Springboks and Barbarians since 2016, and it’s the first time ever the teams will cross paths on South African soil.
Unfortunately, a strong cold front is expected to hit Cape Town from Wednesday, bringing plenty of rain with it this week.
Heavy cloud cover and some persistent rainfall is also forecast for most of Saturday, and so perhaps the expectation for free-flowing attacking rugby will need to be watered down to some degree.
With that weather forecast in mind for Saturday, Springbok attack coach Tony Brown said although it could influence the match, he was comfortable that the Springboks would be able to cope.
“It’s obviously tougher playing attacking rugby in the rain, but we are an adaptable team,” said Brown. “It might be tougher for the Barbarians given their style of play, but we feel we know what is expected of our players.”
Zoning in on what they expected from the Barbarians, Brown said: “They are renowned for their attacking rugby, and they are very unpredictable, so we have to be prepared for that and prepare as well as possible for the match.”
Springboks preparing for an exciting battle against Barbarians
The Springboks are expected to select a strong backline, which will also include X-factor superstar Cheslin Kolbe.
“I haven’t played against them, but from what I’ve seen, they are a good team with a lot of experienced players, so it will be important for us to stay calm and prepare as well as we can,” said Kolbe.
“It’s great to be back. We haven’t seen each other in six or seven months, so it was exciting to assemble as a group again. And then being in Cape Town is a home away from home for me, so it’s always great playing in the Mother City.”
The Springboks will continue their preparations on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will have Thursday off to rest and recuperate, before wrapping up their on-field preparations for the match on Friday with their captains’ run.
The match kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
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