'Doing something like that off the field is not something that we stand for'

South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has distanced the Springboks from allegations of spying on team training at the Rugby World Cup.

England head coach Eddie Jones claimed that his side had been the victim of spying at their training, a key talking point ahead of the game with the All Blacks this weekend.

Speaking at the team hotel in Tokyo, Stick described it as ‘stupid’.

“From my side, we try to keep the game clean, as South Africans. When we coach the players, we try to live by World Rugby standards.

“Doing something like that off the field is not something that we stand for. We really want to prove that we are an honest side who live by World Rugby standards.

“I don’t think we will ever do something like that. I find it stupid to do it. You are not fooling yourself or cheating the people around you, you are cheating the world out there.

“You’ve got so many supporters who are coming to watch a fair battle between the two teams. For myself as a coach, we don’t need something like that. Make sure we all play fair and square between the four lines.”

With the win over Japan, the Springboks stretched their record at this Rugby World Cup to four wins from five matches with only three tries conceded – and 30 scored – and a points difference of 211 for and only 39 against.

Justin Tipuric shuns the limelight but he has been a beacon of excellence at this @rugbyworldcup. Sunday could be his defining moment for Wales.

– writes @OwainJTJones #RWC2019 #WALvRSA https://t.co/tMKsEy8KyB

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 23, 2019

The Springboks now play Wales in their semi-final on Sunday at the Yokohama Stadium, after Wales beat France by 20-19 in the first semi-final.

Stick was asked about the fitness of star winger, Cheslin Kolbe. “Yesterday, he missed our full training session. We are trying to manage him and give him the best opportunity to recover. Hopefully he will be ready for the game.

“But at the moment, everybody is still there for selection for Sunday.”

In a drama-filled press conference this afternoon, Jones said someone was filming from an apartment overlooking their training ground… #RWC2019 #ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/wgPkNGlNk6

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 22, 2019

The Springboks still have Makazole Mapimpi, who boasts a strike-rate of 13 tries in 12 tests.

“If you look at Makazole’s past two to three years in Super Rugby and PRO14, he has always been one of the best finishers in the game.

“When he played for the Southern Kings, he managed to score tries in a losing side. When he went to the Cheetahs, he did the same thing, and at the Sharks, he is one of their best finishers.”

“Against the All Blacks, the opposition also analyse how we play the game, and our individuals, and understand what to do to stop the opposition from scoring points.

Some great head to heads this weekend. #RugbyWorldCup #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/bOntt0oZIE

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 23, 2019

“We were guilty in that New Zealand game for not really converting the possession we had into points. Using the ball in the wider channels was also something we didn’t do in that game.

“That was a big work-on for us going forward in the World Cup, and in a couple of games where we did have opportunities – and the contestable kicking game creates opportunities – you might get Makazole running against a forward, or a 20-metre space to run into.

“Hopefully this week, they will get some opportunities.”