He believes that the plans they have will be able to withstand all the challenges they will face this year, which is the key to the coach of the Springboks, Rassie Erasmus.

The local team will play 12 games this year as they look forward to the World Cup to be held in Australia next year.

It will open with a match against the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, on June 20. It will then play three home Nations Championship matches against England, Scotland and Wales in July.

Those games will be followed by four games against arch-rivals New Zealand in August and September. Three will be played in this country and the last one will be played in Baltimore, United States.

It will also play one game against Australia on the road in September, and wrap up the year with matches against Italy, France, and Ireland in other Nations Championships abroad.

If the Springboks top their group in the Nations Championship, they will play in the finals in London.

Erasmus said they understand how difficult it will be to face the best countries in the world in different areas and the impact it will have on the players, but they believe they have planned for all that.

“I think everything is going well. We have already said that if there are 18 months left before the World Cup starts, it will be clear who will reach it and who will be left behind,” said Erasmus.

“We know that we will face high-level teams this year. We may use 51 players or 57 or 33. It will depend on how things go.

“If we continue to win games, that helps us a lot. We can also tell the players that if we win this weekend, we will use this team next weekend.”

“The most important thing we are trying to ensure is that we have five or six players who are ready to play in all areas on the field. We are not saying that we will use all of them this year, but it is good to know that if we need them, they are there.”

Erasmus called 49 players to the first camp of the year for the national team which started on Tuesday, in Cape Town, and will conclude on Friday.

At the end of this camp, the Bobokhoko coaching team communicates with players based abroad using modern technology so that they can also get information about what was being done in Cape Town.

Share.
Exit mobile version