The Test at the Stade de France kicks off at 22h10 and will be broadcast live on the Grandstand and the SS Rugby channels during DStv Open Time.

“Every Test is a big challenge for us as a team and for each individual personally,” De Jager responded to a question about the difference between France and the Springboks’ mindset going into the match.

“They are a very good team, and we know it’s going to be a very big challenge on Saturday, but we are looking forward to it.”

Libbok echoed these sentiments: “As Lood said, we are preparing for this match as we do with every other Test, and within our team the focus is on us and what we want to do on the field. We want to give our best for the team and the country, and for each of us it is a privilege to be here.

“Our past encounters against France have always been tough, and it shows what a quality team they are, and how hard it is to come here and face them, and this week will be no different.”

When pressed about the hurt the Boks’ 29-28 victory caused in France, as it marked their exit from the RWC, Libbok said: “It was obviously good for us to get the result in the World Cup. The match was very intense and physical, and it took a lot out of us. At the end of the day, one point separated the teams on the scoreboard, but we are pleased that we got the result.”

Manie Libbok.

Zooming in on the match, De Jager anticipated a gritty forward battle against the hosts and said it would serve as a good yardstick to measure where the Bok forwards are at this stage, with three matches left in the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour – against Italy, Ireland, and Wales.

“They have a big pack and are generally very confrontational, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us to see where we are on Saturday,” said De Jager. “They have a good maul and scrum, and they play very direct rugby, so it is going to be a good test for our forwards.”

De Jager also singled out France’s lineouts as one of their strengths: “We analyse every team we play and obviously we’ve had a look at their lineouts. They have a high success rate in that area of their game and a proper maul, and that’s definitely a threat, so we have to do our best to negate that if we want to get the upper hand to win the match on Saturday.”

Libbok, meanwhile, was pleased with the evolution of the Springbok team in the last two years since the Rugby World Cup, and it said it has boosted their performance.

“Our main way of playing is still the same, but we’ve tweaked things here and there to expand our game and give the opposition different pictures, and it’s certainly helped us in the past two years,” said the flyhalf who participated in both matches against France in 2022 and 2023.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his matchday squad on Thursday.