Meyer eager to pick overseas players

Heyneke Meyer: Wants athletic players

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New Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer has given a clear indication that he will continue to select overseas-based players.

Meyer believes striking a balance with northern hemisphere clubs and Super Rugby franchises over the conditioning of their international players is important for the Springboks' success.

The Super Rugby tournament will be held from Fegbruary to August this year and sandwiched in between will be a three Test series between South Africa and England.

"Super Rugby is going to put pressure on," Meyer told Sport24.

"All of the franchises want to win, I'm realistic enough to know that, so it's a big challenge.

"But it's also the first year that there are three Tests in the middle of the competition and there is no successful method to go back and see what works.

"It's a fresh challenge and I would like to have a national planning session.

"I'm on good terms with most of the franchise coaches and I want to see if we can come to a win/win situation, especially in terms of conditioning, which will require a big step up.

"I also want to see if it's possible for me to go overseas and speak to the players there.

"I've spoken to a lot of agents to see who's available and who's not available, but we have some quality players overseas.

"The conditioning of the players in the northern hemisphere is one of my concerns.

"The Heineken Cup is a very tough competition and a lot of the players are conditioned very well, but they peak at different times and I have a few ideas I need to discuss with them and the clubs, again to see if we can come to a win/win situation."

Meyer highlighted the fact that he wants players to show mental toughness in the face of more demanding playing schedules.

"We need to rotate players better at Super Rugby level, but I'm also a big believer in mental toughness and the more the players hear and read about burnout, the more they believe it," he explained.

"We can't make excuses about conditioning, we need to plan and manage our players better.

Another task which the former Bulls rugby director has prioritised is to study current rugby trends and to make certain the Springboks adapt to the changes in the game.

"I've studied a lot of rugby lately and the game changes every six months with the new law interpretations. If you're not adapting to those changes, you're going to be left behind," he said.

"The one definite thing that has to change is our conditioning.

"The guys are playing much more rugby and the game is much quicker; most Tests are lost in the last 10 minutes, so you need athletic players."