Eddie Jones issues warning, challenge to Springboks

The Springboks’ first Test of the year is now just around the corner, with South Africa set to head into Rugby Championship action against the Wallabies next weekend.

Although the Springboks will employ a split-squad system in the Rugby Championship, there will not be an ‘A and B’ team. That’s according to coach Jacques Nienaber, who said the Boks intend repeating the plan that saw them clinch the Rugby Championship title in 2019 by splitting the squad for the opening two Tests of the competition as they zoom in on the southern hemisphere showpiece.

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This will see a group of players and management members travel to Auckland the week of the opening Test against Australia at Loftus Versfeld (on Saturday 8 July) to acclimatise and get their preparations underway for the second Test, a week later against New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium (Saturday 15 July).

However, this does not mean that the team left behind to face Australia will be a so-called ‘B side’.

In fact, according to Sunday newspaper Rapport, World Cup winners such as Lukhanyo Am, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen could all feature in the first Test against the Wallabies.

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There could also be opportunities for the likes of Andre Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie to make a big impression once again as they race for a place in the World Cup squad, but it appears that this will certainly not be a team devoid of big-name Boks.

Looking ahead to this Rugby Championship encounter, Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has now already begun some mind games, suggesting he wants the hosts to field their best team, while adding that playing at fortress Loftus is also an exciting prospect.

“What I’m hoping for is their best team,” Jones told reporters at Sydney International Airport on Friday morning. “If we want to beat South Africa in Pretoria, we want to play against the best.

“It’s just a great opportunity,” Jones added. “Imagine being in the first team that’s beaten South Africa in Pretoria. There’s a great opportunity there.”

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After the Tests against Australia and New Zealand, the third and final game of the shortened version of the tournament will take place against Argentina at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg (Saturday 29 July).

“We have a pretty good idea about how we want to split the squad for the Rugby Championship, but a lot needs to happen before we make a call on selection,” said Nienaber.

“We’ll probably make a decision the week before the Australia Test. As we mentioned last week, we are not selecting A and B sides. We are doing something similar to what we did in 2019 by selecting a team that is good enough to beat Australia at Loftus Versfeld.”

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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

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