Boks focused on Ireland Test
THE Springboks are in full-on “Ireland mode” after concluding their three-day training camp in Stellenbosch yesterday, with the match against the No 1-ranked team in the world less than two weeks away.
Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus, and the Springbok and SA “A” head coaches, Jacques Nienaber and Mzwandile Stick will announce the travelling squads tomorrow – the Boks will play against Ireland in Dublin on November 5, France in Marseille on November 12, Italy in Genoa on November 19, and England in London on November 26.
The SA “A” team will face Munster on Thursday, November 10, and the Bristol Bears a week later on November 17.
“It was a fantastic camp, and it offered the coaches an ideal opportunity to get the players to switch their focus to the Ireland Test next week and the forthcoming SA ‘A’ matches,” said Erasmus.
“It was also valuable in the sense that it exposed new players such as Manie Libbok and Sacha Mngomezulu to our structures and it was important to see them in action as we finalise the selections.”
Erasmus added: “The next step is to decide which players will depart for Ireland on Saturday as members of the Springbok squad and those who will travel straight to Cork on Saturday, November 5, as part of the SA ‘A’ touring group.”
The players who will depart for Ireland on Saturday will not play in the United Rugby Championship (URC) this weekend, while the other players will be eligible for selection for the Lions v Stormers and Bulls v Sharks matches. Nienaber said the coaches achieved what they set out to do at the camp: “The training camp was beneficial in many ways as the players are back in Test mode; we had an opportunity to look at and discuss the opposition we’ll be facing on tour and we had a golden opportunity to work with the SA ‘A’ coaching team and expose them to the way we do things at the Springboks.”
Stick, the SA “A” team head coach, explained the importance of the SA “A” games. “They will not only serve the purpose of exposing the players – both those who are young and their more experienced counterparts to top-class international club rugby – it will also allow the national coaches to give a wider group of players needed valuable game time at this level with the World Cup in mind.”
The Springbok touring squad will assemble in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon and will depart for Ireland later in the evening.