Rugby Players' Guide to France 2023: Boks should take a leaf out of clubs' book for home games

The Springbok camp's insistence that their proverbial Group of Death at the World Cup means that every pool game represents a knock-out encounter will embolden their legion of fans as it illustrates that they understand the magnitude of their task.

Should they need any further inspiration in that regard, they can take a leaf out of French clubs' collective philosophy when it comes to a home game: winning is absolutely everything.

As crude as it sounds, it's one of Pat Lambie's stand-out experiences of the country's rugby.

In the latest edition of Rugby Players’ Guide to France, an exciting new series produced by BrightRock that gives SA rugby fans a slice of the French way of rugby and life ahead of the World Cup, the former Springbok utility back tells Dan Nichol that victory on home turf was non-negotiable during his time there.

"There's this big home-versus-away psychology or mentality for French sides," the 56-cap international, who unfortunately had to retire prematurely at age 29 due to multiple concussions, says.

"Traditionally, [winning] your home games, was a matter of life or death. Ironically, on away games, you sort of send some fringe French players or a B-team and kind of forfeited the encounter. It's a big thing to get used, but because of all the foreign players becoming involved in the Top14, there's a bit of a change now. But I embraced it, it was wonderful to play in different competitions [and circumstances]."

Lambie, who was recently still employed as a kicking consultant for the Sharks, also suggests that the Boks' legion of locally-based URC and European players should be well equipped to handle any discrepancy in terms of underfoot and overhead conditions they might encounter in France because - since