VIDEO: England training tactics caught Bok coach off guard
WATCH as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus speak about England’s unusual tactic of training at sea level for an altitude Test.
England coach Eddie Jones, never scared to engage in a bit of pre-match gamesmanship, decided to base his team in Durban ahead of the three-Test series against South Africa.
Jones is trying to negate the problem by flying his England players to Johannesburg (1750 metres), Bloemfontein (1400 metres) and Cape Town a day ahead of each Test and then return to their Durban coastal base.
England has not won a Test in South Africa since the two teams clashed in the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in 2000.
The Bok coach, Erasmus, pointed out they had to make a similar decision last week, before the Wales Test.
The Boks opted for three days’ training in Johannesburg, with the entire 43-man squad, and the 26 players who flew to America to face Wales, only departed on Wednesday night.
Erasmus admitted it contributed to a lethargic first-half performance.
He said England have their own plans to negate the altitude factor, but it is not what he would have done.
“I am surprised that they [England] – who have the benefit of staying here [Johannesburg] for a week – stayed in Umhlanga [just north of Durban on the Natal coast],” Erasmus said.
“The [Bok] players who stayed behind [ahead of last week’s trip to Argentina] would have trained here [Johannesburg] for two weeks.
“It will be interesting. Maybe they [England] have other plans on how they will handle the altitude.
“Normally it catches up with you if you don’t stay at altitude.
“It is interesting for me, but they might have a plan.”
@rugby365com
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