AUDIO: Things get 'tricky' for Rassie as youngsters get 'flooded with info'
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus admits that it has been “very tricky” in terms of managing his players ahead of their Test against Wales at Twickenham next month.
The Bok boss and the rest of his coaching team laid some important foundations during the second in-person alignment in Cape Town on Wednesday and Thursday.
A group of 38 players attended the camp – which followed the first alignment camp in Cape Town in March and a series of online alignment sessions earlier in May.
The players participated in a series of gym and off-field strategy sessions presented by the coaching staff to familiarise themselves with the structures the team plans to implement this season.
Meanwhile, several big names are currently on the sidelines with injuries, and on Thursday, Jasper Wiese was ruled out of the Ireland series and tour to Australia because of a suspension.
“Obviously, for us, it is very tricky when it comes to managing things for that first Test match against Wales because some of our teams will still be involved in the URC.
“Our other camps were online and in-person, but this was a real in-person camp where we could really dig into the rugby stuff and the on-field stuff.
“That included the attack, the defence, line-out stuff and scrums and also for the players to get used to the new coaches, Tony [Brown] and Jerry [Flannery], and some other things we are going to try in the season.
“We are pretty happy. Some youngsters got flooded with a lot of info and some of the older guys understand the small tweaks we want to make in our game.
“All in all, I think it was successful.
“We will be looking at players in the upcoming URC games and the Sharks in the [Challenge Cup] Final this weekend and the Japan-based players who are available for us.
“From the players, coaches and from a medical side, we are pretty happy with the camp.”
Another blow to the Springboks heading into the international season😬
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Erasmus added: “It was great to see the enthusiasm among the players and witness first-hand how they soaked in everything in as they attempt to stake a claim for places in the national team, and we believe this will set us in good stead as a squad for the upcoming season.
“As a coaching team, this camp allowed us to get a better understanding of the players and their skills to give them enough detail to work on in the next few weeks before we gather for the first official training camp which will be hosted in June.”
Players from the Sharks – who are playing in the EPCR Challenge Cup Final against Gloucester at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Friday – were excused from the camp.
The double World Cup champions will kick off their 2024 international season against Wales on Saturday, June 22, which will be followed by the July series which features back-to-back Test matches against the second-ranked Ireland in Pretoria and Durban respectively (on 6 and 13 July) and an historic first-ever Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein (July 20).
The Springboks will gather in Pretoria on Sunday, June 9 to begin their on-field preparations for the season, with the Test squad for the Wales match set to be named soon after the conclusion of the United Rugby Championship quarterfinals on Saturday, June 8.
Photo credit: @Springboks
A massive blow to Stormers and Springbok fans alike😬
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— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) May 22, 2024
