Rassie Erasmus lauded his the Springboks’ first week of conditioning camp in Johannesburg ahead of the upcoming Rugby Championship.
RASSIE GIVES THE THUMBS UP
The Springboks concluded the first block of their Rugby Championship conditioning camp in Johannesburg on Thursday, earning coach Rassie Erasmus’s approval.
The players will spend the weekend with their families before reporting back for duty on Sunday. The first of their two-week camp included intense field and gym sessions, as well as strategic boardroom discussions.
Erasmus emphasised that this preparation is vital ahead of a demanding championship featuring South Africa’s greatest southern hemisphere rivals.
“We had an intense week of conditioning to get the players ready for a challenging campaign,” he said. “We wanted players to shift mindset in preparation for different contests against Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.”
SPRINGBOKS WARY OF BATTLE-HARDENED OPPONENTS
The players targeted specific areas needing improvement following the mid-year Incoming Series against Italy and Georgia.
Erasmus noted that those concerns were now integrated into the training blocks. He added that Australia’s recent performances against the British & Irish Lions showed their strength and that the Springboks must prepare both mentally and physically.
Next week’s focus will shift towards tactical preparation. The coaches plan to model opposition patterns and explore strategies to counter Australia’s recent style of play. The Wallabies should arrive battle-hardened from their Lions tour, meaning the Springboks expect a high-intensity contest in the first two Tests, in Johannesburg on 16 August and Cape Town on 23 August respectively.
Following South Africa’s matches with Australia, the Springboks face New Zealand in back-to-back Tests in Auckland and Wellington on 6 and 13 September. They wrap up the championship with fixtures against Argentina in Durban on 27 September and London on 4 October.
RASSIE ERASMUS ON JUNIOR SPRINGBOKS IN SENIOR CAMP
Erasmus also defended the inclusion of three stars from South Africa’s U20 World Cup-winning squad, Pead, Hlekani, and Jooste, in the senior camp. He said that exposing young talent to top-level environments helps develop squad depth ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Overall, Erasmus called the first week a success, saying: “We laid a good foundation. From next week, we’ll focus more on what to expect from Australia.”
HOW MANY RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP TEST WILL SOUTH AFRICA WIN THIS YEAR?
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