LONG TERM BOK FOCUS
DAVIDS: PREPARING FOR ENGLAND CLASH WITH ONE EYE ON 2023 WORLD CUP Assistant coach believes it has been a massive benefit to have faced the top contenders this year.
The Springboks are preparing for their final end-of-year tour match against England at Twickenham this weekend, with one eye firmly on next year’s World Cup in France.
In terms of preparation for the showpiece event, where the Boks will be aiming to defend their 2019 title, it has been the perfect year, as they have faced all of the main contenders.
The Boks have played the current No 3-ranked side in the world New Zealand twice, secondranked France in Marseille and top-ranked Ireland, and they face fifth-ranked England on Saturday.
“It is an important game and an important step for us towards the World Cup. Playing against teams that are ranked in the top five in the world and who will be contenders in the competition, is the best preparation before the World Cup that you can get,” said Bok assistant coach Deon Davids.
“We have thus been taking every opportunity to test what we want to do, but we must also take the good lessons from these games and try to be better next year.
“So this (weekend’s) Test for us is important, like any other that we have played. But it’s one of those Tests that you want to pass and get a good result.”
With this being the Boks’ final match of the year, it is important for them to try pick up a win to take some momentum into 2023, while they will also be eager to build on their impressive win over Italy last weekend.
Following this week’s game, the Boks will have a great idea of where they stand heading into the World Cup year and will know where they need to improve ahead of the tournament.
“Part of our journey this year was to put ourselves out there and try to get certain answers on different aspects of our preparation for the World Cup,” explained Davids.
“That includes squad depth, inform players, experienced members of the squad, combinations and also in terms of our strategy, the way we play the game and the challenges we get from the opposition.
“So I think we have got a lot of answers in those aspects. Obviously we are not the finished product yet, but I think after this year we will have a good idea of where we stand in terms of our squad depth, the way we play, our performances at this level and things that we can prepare for next year.”
Davids continued: “That was part of the challenge this year and we are lucky at this stage. If you look at this week’s team selection, the players that are coming in are players that are part of a bigger group, they have experience and get another opportunity.
“We have some experienced players in the squad that we know can do it for us. But we are also realistic in the sense and understanding that teams get better, the game evolves and we will take these experiences from this year and try to build on them.”