There are no test caps up for grabs but that won’t mean the Springboks will be entering into the Barbarians spirit and playing loose rugby in Saturday’s international season opener at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
According to the Boks’ powerhouse centre Andre Esterhuizen, the hosts will go into the Gqeberha game with the same attitude as they did the corresponding match of last year - in other words looking to get their processes right and making the win a priority like would be the case in the official international matches they play during the course of the coming season.
“We just want to go out there and play our game,” said Esterhuizen in an online press conference on Wednesday.
“I know it is a Barbarians game and everyone looks at it and thinks it can be loose. They might want to make it loose, but we are aiming to stick to our processes like we do in every game. For us it is a normal test match. That’s how we’re going to handle it and go into the game. Hopefully we will be successful in doing that.”
They were last year in Cape Town, where wet weather and a damp field mitigated against Barbarians style anyway, and won comfortably - 54-7.
Springbok season is here! 😁
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The Barbarians are in town this Saturday for the YesPlay Cup 🇿🇦🔲
▪️ 11:30 | SA 'A' vs Zimbabwe | Build-up
▪️ 12:00 | SA 'A' vs Zimbabwe | Kick-off
▪️ 14:00 | Boks vs Barbarians | Build-up
▪️ 15:00 | Boks vs Barbarians | Kick-off
▪️ 17:00 | Boks vs… pic.twitter.com/QgrPOzYMEw
A similar result could be on the cards again, although this time the weather will be better suited to the Barbarians' style, with a clear day with a maximum of 20 degrees predicted for match day in Gqeberha, but Esterhuizen indicated that he had a lot of respect for the opposition.
In particular, he is gearing himself for a tough battle with his opposite numbers in the Barbarians team, meaning a midfield made up of Munster’s Kiwi recruit Alex Nankivelli and the former French international Virimi Vakatawa, who is now back in his homeland playing for Fiji Drua in Super Rugby Pacific.
“It’s a powerhouse centre pairing. Nankiveli is a strong, abrasive runner with good offloading skills and good distribution. And we have all seen Vakatawa play for France. He is a very experienced centre who’s been around for a long time and is a strong ball carrier. So it’s going to be a good battle in the centres. I’m excited for the challenge, it is going to be a good one.”
Added to the list of challenges that Esterhuizen, who used last year’s Barbarians game to announce himself as a hybrid player as he made his first appearance for the Boks as a flank off the replacements bench, is the role he will be expected to play in helping Quan Horn adapt to what for him is the unfamiliar position of flyhalf.
Like the Bok coaches who selected him, Esterhuizen left no doubt that he rated Horn’s ability to do the job highly.
Normally a fullback, which is where he specialises for the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions, Horn has clearly impressed in the last two weeks of training.
“I think we can all agree he’s a very good player, with a lot of skill and a good reading of the game,” Esterhuizen said.
“I think he has slotted into the flyhalf position really well in training. He’s been workiing hard and learning on the go. He has experienced players on his inside and outside who can help him and guide him. I think he will do very well in that position and that will make him a great option to have as a utility back.”