San Francisco Frontiers - Injury-hit Springboks 'fully focused' on Romania

The Springboks have had negative news about hooker Malcom Marx and lock Eben Etzebeth this week since opening their tournament with an efficient win over Scotland.

Marx will miss the remainder of the defence of their title while Etzebeth is out until the build-up to their third pool match against world number one side Ireland on September 23.

Head coach Nienaber said Marx's tournament-ending knee injury had not had an impact on preparations for the Romania game in Bordeaux.

"When the injury happened it didn't affect our team going into this match, at all," Nienaber said this week.

"We're fully focused on Romania because we should show them that respect, it's only the second time we've played them in a World Cup so it's a special game for us.

"We should also show that respect to the players that we selected to play in that match.

"So we're not talking about anything other than Romania," he added.

Nienaber has made wholesale changes to face the 19th ranked side in the world known as The Oaks.

He has name four scrum-halves in his matchday squad with Grant Williams on the wing and Faf de Klerk covering fly-half on the bench.

Nienaber has only Damian Willemse and the rested Manie Libbok as his options in the No. 10 shirt.

"I'm not being disrespectful to Romania but it's an opportunity to try him out in a Test match under pressure at 10," Nienaber said.

"He's trained there for us numerous times.

"We've said Faf is our third-choice fly-half but this is a nice opportunity to give him a run at 10, controlling the game at 10 at test-match level."

- 'Exposure' -

Romania are looking for a first World Cup victory since 2015 and Andre Gorin makes his tournament debut on the flank, less than three months from his 36th birthday.

At the other end of the experience scale, head coach Eugen Apjok has handed an opportunity to 14 players aged 26 or under for the match.

"We know what we're expecting," Gorin said.

"It's a chance to play against big nations. We don’t play big nations every day.

"We can't make a points objective, just try to do better than last week, but supporting the youngsters," he added.

The Boks are expected to post a healthy score in the late-summer heat on the Atlantic coast against a side who reached the tournament after Spain were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player, South African-born prop Gavin van den Berg.

Nienaber's side also face Ireland and Tonga in a tight pool, with places for the quarter-finals at a premium.

"Points difference might come into this pool but the first thing is to bank the win," Nienaber said.

"But there is definitely some technical and tactical stuff that we get out of this game.

"Getting some first World Cup Test matches into some players, getting used to the pressure, which is different to any other competition, that exposure will be great,” he added.

S.Hall--SFF