Rassie Erasmus makes a bold and strong statement about Zimbabwe and the Springboks Rugby World Cup ambitions. South Africa A and Zimbabwe will lock horns on 20 June, a match that Rassie can not wait to watch.
With Zimbabwe qualified for the Rugby World Cup to be hosted in Australia, they are preparing heavily. They are looking for big opponents to play friendlies against, and surely, there is no better opponent than South Africa.
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Even Rassie Erasmus is excited about facing Zimbabwe as he also prepares his team for the 2027 World Cup.
WHAT RASSIE ERASMUS SAID ABOUT FACING ZIMBABWE
Indeed, the South Africa A is not as strong as the Springboks, but Rassie is not taking Zimbabwe for granted. He is aware of their quality and the problems they pose on their best day.
We have done well to rotate our squad and give several players a chance in the last two seasons, but others have performed really well outside of that group, who we would like to see in action, so we’ll be able to cast our net wider as we prepare for that encounter.” Rassie said, speaking of the quality of the encounter.
“The match between the SA ‘A’ team and Zimbabwe will serve as a fantastic opportunity for both teams to achieve some of their objectives with the Rugby World Cup in mind, and from a South African point of view, we have seen the benefits of having an SA ‘A’ team playing against quality opposition,” he continued.
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“Players such as Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu), Ruan (Nortje), Grant (Williams), Aphelele (Fassi) and Elrigh (Louw), among others, all played for the team in the early stages of their international careers, and have become important members of our squad since, so this match will offer us another chance to give guys within our squad and others who have really put up their hands to prove what they can do against international opposition.” Rassie finished speaking of the rotation needed in his camp.
ZIMBABWE COACH SPEAKS
Zimbabwe coach Pieter Benade also opened up about the impact South Africa A will have on his team.
Experiences like this are invaluable, as they expose our players to the highest level of competition, accelerate their growth, and play a key role in the continued development of our squad. We’re looking forward to the lessons ahead and the chance to showcase our progress on the international stage,” he said.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s top rugby nations and a truly elite system. It’s a challenge we embrace and one that promises to push our standards to another level.” Benade said.
A GAME FANS CAN’T WAIT TO SEE
Reacting ahead of the game, most Zimbabwe Sables fans are happy to face a strong opponent, but some are afraid. They believe that South Africa would be too good for them.
@Wally Hwata “I’m no prophet, but I see a hectic scoreline being posted past my team, Zimbabwe”
@R I A A N V A N W Y K “Fantastic! It should happen every year to allow youngsters to grow. Looking forward to this👏”
@Leon Ndlovu🇿🇼🇿🇦 “❤️ let’s go zim. Can’t wait”