Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber believes the team is well on track with their preparations for the Rugby Championship.
The Boks concluded the second week of their training camp in Pretoria on Friday. They have been hard at work over the past two weeks, on and off the field, for their opening match against Australia on Saturday 8 July at Loftus Versfeld.
The group will reconvene in Pretoria on Sunday for the final week of the training camp before heading into the Australian Test week a week later.
“Things are coming together nicely,” said Nienaber. “The intensity of our training sessions is good and it is pleasing to see how we are progressing. We had a good base to build from thanks to the camps earlier in the season, and we’ve steadily built on that since coming together.
“We have also started to focus on the tests against Australia and New Zealand this week, as it is essential that we are well prepared for a good Rugby Championship campaign ahead of the World Cup warm-up matches and the tournament later in the season.”
Rassie Erasmus, director of rugby, is meanwhile delighted by World Rugby’s confirmation that lock Jean Kleyn is eligible for selection.
“Jean’s clearance is good news for the team in this important season,” said Erasmus. “His international experience increases our depth at lock, while at the same time boosting the experience in the squad in a year where every game is vital in our preparation for the World Cup.”
Erasmus also wished the Toyota Cheetahs and Airlink Pumas good luck for the Currie Cup final, the Boland Cavaliers and Falcons for the First League final, and the Junior Springboks for their o. 20-World tournament opener Saturday against Georgia.
“We are proud of all four teams that made it to the finals, and we are excited to see what they deliver on Saturday,” says Erasmus. “We wish them and the Junior Springboks the best of luck with their opening match for World Rugby’s o. 20 Championship in what will be an exciting day for rugby in South Africa.”
The Springboks play three tests – Australia (Saturday 8 July), New Zealand (Saturday 15 July) and Argentina (Saturday 29 July) – in the shortened version of the Rugby Championship.
The team will then play three World Cup warm-up matches – against Argentina (August 5), Wales (August 19) and New Zealand (August 25) – before traveling to Corsica for a week-long training camp. Their first World Cup match is against Scotland on Sunday 10 September.
