Franzel September, thrust into the caretaker role alongside Laurian Johannes-Haupt following Swys de Bruin's resignation two days before Saturday's clash with the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium, has told his squad the upheaval cannot become an excuse for underperformance.
De Bruin, 66, stepped down with immediate effect on Thursday in what was reported to be a dispute over win bonuses, leaving September and Johannes-Haupt to step up from their assistant roles on the eve of a sold-out curtain-raiser to the Springboks-All Blacks Test.
"When the news came out, we said 'We are here for rugby. Let the main thing stay the main thing'," September told Planet Rugby on Friday. "For now, let's try and stay in the moment. Focus on those challenges we need to work through. Things might happen in a World Cup. We need to prove to ourselves that we can stay focused on the job at hand."
September set a medal at the next World Cup as the squad's target, framing Saturday as one step in that process. "We will take it one step at a time but we know what we need to do," he said.
The occasion itself presents its own challenge. FNB Stadium — capacity over 90,000 — dwarfs anything on the World Cup circuit in England last year, though September is not troubled by that. "Those experiences of last year at the World Cup, the stadiums in England might have looked small, but a couple of stadiums were packed. The ladies know exactly what's expected of them — not to get lost in those moments, but to stay where we are, stay present, stay as a team."
At the World Cup quarter-final in Exeter, South Africa trailed to a 10-10 scoreline at half-time before the then world champions pulled away. Six of the forwards who held New Zealand level for 40 minutes start again in Soweto, including captain Babalwa Latsha and number eight Aseza Hele.
September was measured but direct on the prospect of an upset. "We're giving ourselves an opportunity. We are well aware of what the Black Ferns can bring. If you allow them to play rugby and do their thing they will do whatever they want to do. We just need to know that for 80 minutes, every opportunity we get we convert into points whilst limiting" theirs.
"If you think you can't win, if you tell yourself you're going into a match to lose, you're in the wrong place," he added.