VIDEO: Bok coach previews their 2022 campaign
South Africa will face the best the world has to offer in 2022, all in preparation for the 2023 World Cup.
This was revealed by Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber in an interview with the First XV television show this week.
The Boks, currently ranked No.1 in the world, will have six of the teams in the top eight, including the four directly below them – New Zealand (No.2), Ireland (No.3), England (No.4) and France (No.5).
New Zealand will visit South Africa for back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests, with Ireland, England and France awaiting them on the Boks’ year-end tour to the Northern Hemisphere in November.
Then there is Australia (ranked seventh) and Wales (eighth), who will also face the Boks.
Wales arrive in July for a three-Test series in SA, while Australia will host the Boks Down Under during the Rugby Championship.
Just over 18 months out from the start of the 2023 World Cup in France, Nienaber expressed his satisfaction with the quality of the opposition his team will get this year.
“You want some tough opposition to Test yourself, your players and your plans,” he told the First XV studio panel.
“If you look at the [2022] itinerary, it is a tough one.
“Of the eight teams we will face this year, four are ranked between No.2 and No.5.
“We will test ourselves against [teams in] the top five and that is good for us.”
Nienaber also rated the Boks a mere six out of 10 for their 2021 performances.
While the Boks completed their main assignment, defeating the British & Irish Lions on home soil, they lost to England in November last year and also fell to losses against Australia (twice) and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship.
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“We have just done a proper review of our 2021 season and I think, to be quite honest, I would probably give us a six out of 10,” said Nienaber.
“There is lots of room for improvement.
“It’s not just in one area.
“We had a reality check of almost all our high-performance areas. I don’t want to go into too many specifics.
“This isn’t a six out of 10 to get empathy from people. I honestly believe our squad is better and we are better than how we performed last year.
“Obviously, the challenge is now to try and fix it in 2022, to build on it.
“There were some good foundations that we laid in 2021.
“Thinking of where we came from, not playing any rugby in 2020. For us, it was about getting back on the horse, beating the British & Irish Lions while doing that, playing in the Rugby Championship and getting used to bubble life for 16 to 18 weeks.
“This year will be a big year in the sense of building on what we started in 2021 with the end goal of 2023 in mind.”
The Springboks are scheduled to face Wayne Pivac’s Wales in three Test matches in July, before hosting the All Blacks and Argentina in the Rugby Championship in August and September.
“We are well underway with our planning for the year, and our knowledge of these teams after facing all of them last season will be vital as we forge ahead in this regard in the next few months.
“Wales, the All Blacks and Australia tested us well last season, and Argentina have proven to be a force to be reckoned with, both at home and away, so although we are expecting a challenging season, we realise the importance of laying a solid foundation as we build up toward next year’s Rugby World Cup.”
Springboks schedule
Mid-year fixtures:
Saturday, 2 July: Springboks v Wales – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 9 July: Springboks v Wales – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Saturday, 16 July: Springboks v Wales – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Rugby Championship fixtures:
Saturday, 6 August: Springboks v New Zealand – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Saturday, 13 August: Springboks v New Zealand – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 27 August: Springboks v Australia – venue TBC
Saturday, 3 September: Springboks v Australia – venue TBC
Saturday, 17 September: Springboks v Argentina – Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Saturday, 24 September: Springboks v Argentina – Kings Park, Durban
* The November Tests are yet to be formally confirmed, but Ireland (date TBC), France (November 12 in Paris) and England (November 26 in London) are on the cards.
Source: SuperSport
