Rassie Erasmus was pleased with the foundation laid at the second Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town this week, and believed it set a good tone for the season ahead.
A group of 38 players attended the camp on Wednesday and Thursday – which followed the first alignment camp in Cape Town in March and a series of online sessions earlier in May.
The players participated 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.
“This camp was extremely valuable in exposing the players to detailed aspects of the game which we would like to implement this season,” said Erasmus.
“At the first two alignment camps we adopted a broader view of what the coaching staff will look at when it comes to team selection and to introduce the players to the coaches and their ideas, and especially the new members of the coaching team in Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery and national laws advisor Jaco Peyper.
“With our first Test less than a month away, it was vital that we started introducing the players to our new systems, so that they have sufficient time to familiarise themselves with these structures as we plan to select the group of players for the Wales Test and [July] Incoming Series.”
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“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,” Erasmus added.
“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 Challenge Cup final against Gloucester at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Friday night – were excused from the camp.
The reigning world champions will kick off their 2024 season against Wales on 22 June, which will be followed by the July Tests which features back-to-back matches against the second-ranked Ireland in Pretoria and Durban respectively (on 6 and 13 July) and a first Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein (20 July).
The Springboks will gather in Pretoria on 9 June 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 Vodacom URC quarter-finals on 8 June.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post Rassie introduces Boks to ‘new systems’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
