Springboks quietly confident ahead of Rugby Championship opener against Wallabies
Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber is quietly confident ahead of their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies on July 8 after his squad completed a three-week training camp in Pretoria.
The Boks finished the week’s on-field preparations with a double training session on Thursday, and Nienaber was content with the work put in by his players as they prepare to make the transition into a full Test-match week from Sunday.
Truncated competition
South Africa will host Australia at Loftus Versfeld next week in the opening match of the truncated Rugby Championship, before they face New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland a week later on July 15.
The Boks will then return to South Africa to host Argentina at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg in their final match of the tournament on Saturday, July 29.
“We’ve had a productive three weeks in Pretoria, and we’re pleased with where the players are, going into the first Test next week,” said Nienaber.
“We did a lot of groundwork on and off the field at this camp and the players and coaches are aligned in terms of what we want to see and achieve on the field.
“Jean-Luc du Preez was also cleared to join us from the beginning of this week, which means we had an opportunity to work with all the players at stages during the last three weeks, and that will bode well for us going into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.”
“We also have a clear picture now of the players who are fit and those who are on the road to full recovery to participate in the competition in the next few weeks.
“It was also fantastic that the injured players could work closely with our medical team daily, and it’s pleasing to see them making such good progress.”
With the training camp now a thing of the past, the Springbok players will enjoy a short break with their families before the Rugby Championship kicks off.
Nienaber believes the few days off will benefit the players both mentally and physically, and he is certain they would re-assemble on Sunday in match mode.
“These few days will allow them to refresh on both fronts,” he added. “The base is now in place, and next week we need to be switched on fully from our first meeting and training session for the Australia Test.
“This is going to be a challenging competition with all the teams looking to build momentum before the World Cup, so we have to hit the ground running if we want to be in the running to win the title.”
Bok matchday squad announcement imminent
Nienaber is set to announce his matchday squad for the Wallabies Test on Tuesday, July 4.
The Boks will play six matches in total before the Rugby World Cup, with the other three matches outside of the Rugby Championship being warm-up fixtures against Argentina in Buenos Aires (August 5), Wales in Cardiff (August 19) and New Zealand in London (August 25).
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