Springboks ramp up preparations for Wales, Ireland and Portugal Test matches

The Springboks will have a second alignment camp in Cape Town on Wednesday and Thursday to intensify their preparations for their Test matches against Wales, Ireland, and Portugal.

For the two days of the camp, 38 players have been invited. Due to the majority of the players participating being in the northern hemisphere at the time, the original idea of an in-person camp early in May was replaced with a series of online alignment sessions with chosen local and international players, which took place during the first alignment camp, which was held in March.

Sharks players have been excused from this week’s practice. The Sharks play Gloucester in the EPCR Challenge Cup final on Friday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
The camp comes after a two-day coaches’ strategy meeting that was held the previous weekend and during which the camp’s foundation was laid.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus stated, “We are entering a new cycle as a group and it is vital that we start diving deeper into our on-field planning as our first Test is only a few weeks away.”

“We are in a good position to start zooming into different areas of the game in more detail because in the first two camps we presented our wider plans and introduced the new ideas presented by all the coaches, especially the new additions to the coaching team in Tony Brown, Jerry Flannery, and Jaco Peyer.”
Erasmus went on, “It will be great to have everyone together and make sure that the coaches and players are 100% aligned in terms of what we want to achieve and how we plan to approach the season. Our first Test is quickly approaching.”

We play two Tests against Ireland, the second-ranked team in the world, and our first Test against Portugal in the Castle Lager Incoming Series, so it will be a difficult year. The Test against Wales is scheduled outside of the international calendar.

“After that, we’ll play the Rugby Championship, which begins with two Test matches against New Zealand in South Africa and two matches, one at home and one away, against Australia.

“Our Outgoing Tour will also serve as a thorough test with matches against Scotland, England and Wales lined up, so the sooner we are aligned as a group, the better.”