Boks have a 'good base to build on' going into Rugby Champs
SPOTLIGHT: Despite not meeting all their objectives during the July international window, Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick believes plans are in place for a successful Rugby Championship.
The Springboks touched down in Australia on Thursday in high spirits following an overnight flight from Johannesburg and will have the rest of the day off to recover from the long journey before resuming their on-field preparations on Friday.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ 33-man squad laid a good foundation for the two-Test tour in Johannesburg on Monday and Tuesday before departing for Brisbane via Sydney on Wednesday.
The Boks will kick off the 2024 edition of the Rugby Championship at Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday, August 10, before making the trip to Perth for their second clash against the Wallabies on Saturday, August 17.
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“It’s great to be in Australia and it has certainly added to our excitement for the Tests against the Wallabies and the Rugby Championship as a whole,” said Stick.
“We had a smooth journey to Brisbane with an overnight flight to Sydney and then made the short trip to Brisbane soon after, so the players were able to rest well on the long-haul flight.
“They will have additional time tonight [Thursday – Australia time] to recover from the travel, and then we’ll hit the ground running on the training field on Friday.”
Stick added that facing the Wallabies in Australia is always a big challenge: “Having a few extra days to acclimatise and familiarise ourselves with the conditions will be invaluable.
“We started the season well with three victories in our four matches to date [against Wales, Ireland and Portugal], and although we would have loved to win the second Test against Ireland, we have a good base to build from going into the Rugby Championship.
“Playing against the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina will definitely be a different challenge to the teams we have faced so far this season, but we enjoy playing against these teams and we are really looking forward to the competition.”
The Springboks will return to South Africa on Sunday, August 18 where they will continue the competition against their arch-rivals New Zealand on August 31 in Johannesburg and September 7 in Cape Town.
This will be followed by a short trip to Argentina to face Los Pumas in Santiago on Saturday, September 21, before they wrap up the tournament in Nelspruit against Argentina on Saturday, September 28.
Springboks’ Rugby Championship fixtures:
Saturday, August 10: Australia v SA (Lang Park, Brisbane)
Saturday, August 17: Australia v SA (Perth Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, August 31: SA v New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7: SA v New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 21: Argentina v SA (Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades, Santiago)
Saturday, September 28: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
