Mbonambi reveals Boks' peculiar way of preparing for ‘hostile’ French crowd

Bongi Mbonambi revealed South Africa have been training with background noise to prepare themselves for the “hostility” they will encounter from a partisan French support in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final showdown at Stade de France.

The Springboks are set to be heavily outnumbered inside the 80,000-capacity Saint-Denis arena, with masses of Les Bleus fans intent on helping their side maximise home advantage as they aim to land the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time.

South Africa are well accustomed to dealing with uninviting environments, however, and hooker Mbonambi explained why they will not be fazed by being cast as the unwanted interlopers attempting to ruin the tournament hosts’ party this weekend.

“The atmosphere is going to be massive,” said the 32-year-old Boks forward. “We have tried to simulate the noise in training so that when it comes to the match on Sunday, it’s not the first time we have experienced it and it doesn’t come as a shock to us.

“We know they are going to be singing and everything like that but we’ve just got to embrace it and try to focus on our game-plan.

“We will just take the atmosphere as it is. We have played them in Marseille (last November), which was a very hostile atmosphere, so we have experience of that.

“It will be hostile but for us as a team we have to focus on executing our plan. It is very important for us to shut out the noise.”

South Africa lost 30-26 to France in a closely-contested encounter in Marseille but Mbonambi expects a more ferocious showdown this time.

“I think the intensity is going to be way more than Marseille,” he said. “That was just an end-of-year Test match. This is a World Cup quarter-final so there’s a lot on the line.”

Although they will be in the minority in the north of Paris on Sunday, Mbonambi insisted the Springboks will be fuelled by a knowledge that they have their nation behind them.

“Back at home we have 60 million South Africans who are looking for hope and inspiration and we take that out on the pitch,” he said. “That is special. It is a massive privilege and a massive honour.

“Different players have different ways of preparing and when we’re on that bus together you do what you have to do to make sure your attention is just on the Springboks, just on South Africa.”

Prior to their defeat in Marseille last year, South Africa had won seven matches in a row against Les Bleus, including their last meeting at Stade de France five years ago.

“It was 2018, a long time ago, but it was a special game in a special stadium,” said Mbonambi, who played in that 29-26 victory. “We know they are not the same team that they were then and they have been working hard for this.

“We are expecting a totally different challenge and obviously the atmosphere will be way different to what it was in 2018.”

Mbonambi also played at the last World Cup when South Africa landed the glory in Japan. He is eager to experience that thrill again but knows there is still plenty work to do if that is to materialise over the coming weeks.

“It is definitely very inspiring,” he said of the 2019 triumph. “We know we are the defending champions and we know we have a huge task playing the host nation again in a quarter-final (the Boks beat Japan 26-3 in the last eight four years ago).

“It is very exciting. We take confidence from that (being champions) but that was four years ago. Rugby has changed: players are bigger, stronger, fitter.”

Mbonambi insisted his team will not tone down their physical approach despite France forward William Servat suggesting on Wednesday that South Africa “can be very violent” in terms of the intensity they bring to a match.

“Can be violent? That’s the first time I’ve heard of that,” said Mbonambi. “We obviously pride ourselves on being physical and confrontational.

“But we know the French pack always like being confrontational and we will embrace that. We are definitely going to express ourselves as South Africans.

“Whatever way they want to put it, it’s a rugby game, it’s a collision sport, and we love the collisions. We’re not going to back off.”