After a brief break after the Rugby Championship, the Springboks have travelled overseas for a preparation camp in Jersey, and from next week they will head into Test mode.
The squad will travel from Jersey to Edinburgh on Sunday for their opening Test against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday 10 November, before moving on to London to face England on Saturday 16 November. They will then wrap up the Outgoing Tour against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday 23 November.
Rassie Erasmus has named an incredibly powerful squad, but some key players are missing due to injury, with a couple of recent withdrawals leading to call-ups for the likes of Jordan Hendrikse (flyhalf), Johan Grobbelaar (hooker), Wilco lous (prop) and Cameron Hanekom (loose forward).
These are the stars currently unavailable to the Springboks:
- Frans Malherbe (ankle injury)
- Damian Willemse (groin injury)
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (knee injury)
- Steven Kitshoff (neck injury)
- Lood de Jager (shoulder injury)
- Salmaan Moerat (knee injury)
- Jan-Hendrik Wessels (ankle injury)
Meanwhile, Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said he was pleased with the team’s first two days of preparations for the November Tests.
“Everything went smooth with the travel, while the people in Jesey and the hotel staff have been very welcoming and the training facilities are world-class, so it’s been great so far.
“One can also sense the excitement among the players, and they’re really putting the hard work at gym and at the field sessions.
“In terms of the training itself, we’re fortunate to have this training camp because some of the players have been participating in the United Rugby Championship while some of the Japanese players have been off, so the main goals for the week have been to ensure that we focus on how we want to play and build the intensity of our training sessions.”
Stick added: “It’s been tough because we’ve had double training sessions in the last two days and we’re really pushing the players. But this week has given us an opportunity to implement what we’d like to and introduce a few things, so by the time we reach Test week in a few days, we don’t overload the players.”
Looking ahead at the Outgoing Tour, Stick expected a challenging series, but he said their focus at this stage was solely on the clash against Scotland.
“I think we’d be stupid to look too far ahead, so our main focus at the moment is on Scotland,” said Stick.
“If you look at the Six Nations competition earlier this year, Scotland put in some great performances. They won against England and Wales, and it was close until late in the game against Ireland, so they’re a tough team to beat.
“They’ll also have a good crowd behind them, and they have quality players, so if we allow them to perform, they can punish us.
“They’re in a good space as a team, and there’s consistency in their coaching staff, so it’s going to be a tough match.”
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