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Johannesburg - South Africa's World Cup squad had ramped up its intensity to eye-opening proportions, coach Peter de Villiers said on Thursday, as the Springboks prepare to depart for New Zealand and their title defense.
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De Villiers said his players, led by 18 winners from the 2007 showpiece, had now "switched into World Cup mode" and had not been better-prepared for two years - since the buildup to their 2009 series victory over the British and Irish Lions.
"I'm comfortable with what we've achieved and where we're at," De Villiers said ahead of a farewell parade for the 30-man squad in Johannesburg. "It's been an eye-opener this week. They switched into World Cup mode. The intensity was high. The players were very good this week. They understand their roles and their responsibilities."
Captain John Smit, the World Cup-winning skipper four years ago, said there were "similar trends" to the Boks' victory in France. However, this time there was more pressure on South Africa, he said, and more expectation to win the trophy.
That will likely to hit home for the players later Thursday when 50 000 fans are expected to gather in the Sandton business district in northern Johannesburg to see the team off.
Smit said the excitement of a rugby-mad country had given the squad "incredible energy" but also underlined the huge expectation.
"We are well-prepared, we've got a good squad," Smit said. "The one big difference for me (from 2007) is that there is a far greater expectation going into this World Cup which will make it more difficult.
"On the way to France ... it was our own pressure. There was a hope that we could do well. Now there is a need. This country needs us to do well."
The Boks are well-set, De Villiers and Smit both said, to deal with the pressure of a World Cup defense. Alongside those 18 former winners, the Springboks can field 12 players that started the last World Cup final and in 100-Test internationals Smit and vice captain Victor Matfield have two of the most experienced players in world rugby.
"These guys are more than capable," the coach said. "They are exceptional leaders. What people see as an outcome on the field is not close to what these guys are actually worth for this country."
This group thrived on the pressure, De Villiers added, still noting hosts New Zealand were the favourites for the World Cup title.
"That is what this team likes. They like responsibility. Don't be soft on us, be hard on us, so we know that when we go there our work is cut out. We like to be pushed onto the edge. That brings the best out of these guys."
Smit said a small group of senior campaigners would treat their final World Cup - and final time in a Springbok jersey - as a chance to "leave it all out there" and give everything.
Smit and Matfield will both end their international careers after the World Cup, while forwards Danie Rossouw and Bakkies Botha and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez could also be playing for the Boks for the final time.
"It's been a blessed time and I will have no regrets," Smit said as he reflected on his 106-Test match career and looked ahead to his last challenge for South Africa. "The fact that there are seven games that remain. It's almost like leave nothing out there.
"There's quite a big group of us that have come a long way together. There's a number of guys that are in my position and we don't want to leave it anywhere but at its best. We want to make sure that it finishes on a high."
