Springboks provide positive feedback as Test focus sharpens
The Springboks have been hard at work on and off the field in the last two weeks for their opening Test of the season against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday 8 July, with the training camp comprising numerous field and gym sessions as well as team meetings. ALSO READ: Could new-look Springboks team look like […]
The Springboks have been hard at work on and off the field in the last two weeks for their opening Test of the season against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday 8 July, with the training camp comprising numerous field and gym sessions as well as team meetings.
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The group will re-assemble in Pretoria on Sunday for the final week of the training camp, before entering the Australia Test week a week later.
“Things are coming together nicely,” said Nienaber. “The intensity of our training sessions is good and it’s 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 built on that steadily since getting together.
“We also started zooming into the Tests against Australia and New Zealand this week because it’s vital that we are well prepared going into those Test matches and have a good Rugby Championship campaign before entering our Rugby World Cup warm-up matches and the global spectacle itself later in the season.”
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SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus, meanwhile, was delighted about the confirmation from World Rugby that lock Jean Kleyn is eligible for selection based on the rule of birth-right transfer.
“Jean’s clearance is great 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 in which every match is vital in our preparations for the World Cup.”
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The Springboks will play three Tests in the abbreviated version of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship against Australia (8 July), New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland (Saturday 15 July) and Argentina at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg (Saturday 29 July).
The team will then play three Rugby World Cup warm-up games – against Argentina in Buenos Aires (5 August), Wales in Cardiff (19 August) and New Zealand in London (25 August) before travelling to Corsica for a one-week camp en route to Toulon for their opening Rugby World Cup fixture against Scotland on Sunday 10 September.
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SPRINGBOKS 2023 FIXTURES:
Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
Saturday, 8 July – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 15 July – Springboks vs New Zealand (Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland)
Saturday, 29 July – Springboks vs Argentina (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
RWC warm-up fixtures:
Saturday, 5 August – Springboks v Argentina (Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires)
Saturday, 19 August – Springboks vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Friday, 25 August – Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London)
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RWC fixtures:
Sunday, 10 September – Boks v Scotland (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Sunday, 17 September – Boks v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
Saturday, 23 September – Boks v Ireland (Stade de France, Paris)
Sunday, 1 October – Boks v Tonga (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
Saturday, 28 October – Final