Durban - South Africa A captain Thomas Toit says his players “can throw their names into the Springbok hat” if they play as a team against Munster tonight and not as individuals.
The match kicks off at 9.30pm tonight in front of 42 000 fans at the sold-out Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.
Du Toit – one of 14 capped Springboks in the side – had a short stint with Munster six years ago and knows all about the passion and tradition of the side, and he warned his team-mates that cohesion will be paramount against a host team that featured a number of Ireland internationals.
“This is a great opportunity for us to throw our names in the hat to play for the Springboks,” said Du Toit.
The South Africa 'A' team will be flying our flag in Ireland tomorrow night 🇿🇦#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/UcL44jNcPS
“Some of us have been there before and it’s everyone’s dream to be in the Bok squad, but we will have to find a balance between showcasing our talents and playing as a team. If we can win the match, everyone will look better.
“Munster have a strong team and we’re expecting a wonderful game. We’re not going to be naïve, we know what this means to them and I’m sure Ireland’s victory over the Boks has given them a boost, but this is a new game between new teams and all of us as very excited about this opportunity.”
Coach Bafana Nhleko, who is also the Junior Springbok head coach, echoed these sentiments: “The guys understand that these games provide an opportunity for them to show the national coaches what they can do, and the message is that they must try and knock the Bok door down and make it difficult for the selectors to ignore them.
“But we need to work together if we want to be successful, and the players’ attitudes have been great – both the first-timers and the more experienced players. They have gone above and beyond this week to prepare for the game.
“We’re playing against a side with seven internationals and a few players who featured for Emerging Ireland recently and we will show them respect, but our first priority is to get the result, without complicating things for ourselves and get synergy in how we want to play.”
Experienced Test players lining up with some of the best young talent in the country - what's not to like about the South Africa 'A' team? More here: https://t.co/zxSlVdPIjk 🤩#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/ScO8ti612g
With wind and rain expected, Du Toit said they will be ready.
“We trained in similar conditions this week, perhaps not quite as windy, but it’s the same for both teams and we are raring to go, and we will see which team rolls with the punches best,” said Du Toit.
Nhleko added: “It will be important for us to keep our game plan simple as we only had two days to prepare, but the players know they can take their opportunities when presented – without going away from our strong set piece and kicking games, and strong defence.”
SA ‘A’ team: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12, Cornal Hendricks, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Johan Goosen, 9, Herschel Jantjies, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu,
Replacements: 16 – Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Dan du Preez, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Sanele Nohamba, 23 Gianni Lombard.
@MikeGreenaway67