The Springboks have landed in Auckland close to midnight on Wednesday, infused with optimism and enthusiasm for their upcoming series of intense encounters against their long-standing rivals, the All Blacks.
Having journeyed from South Africa via Sydney, the team is eager to tackle the challenges that lie ahead in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
Wrapped in the excitement of their arrival, the Springboks are set for a gym session and a well-deserved recovery day on Thursday, ensuring they shake off the fatigue from their lengthy trip before diving into their first training session on Friday.
The stage is already set for a monumental face-off at Eden Park on Saturday, September 6, followed by another clash at Sky Stadium in Wellington a week later on September 13.
They will then return to South Africa to face Argentina in Durban on Saturday September 27, before wrapping up their campaign against the Pumas in London on October 4.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expressed the team’s intent and fervour as they prepare to take on their fierce rivals.
“We travelled well, and although it’s a long trip to New Zealand, we are excited to be here and we are looking forward to the challenge ahead,” Erasmus said.
“It’s always tough playing here, but the group is in good spirits, and we are fully aware of the magnitude of the task ahead.
“With all four teams in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship having won one match so far and the standings very tight at this stage, there’s no doubt that the next two games will be crucial in our campaign, so it’s good that we travelled early in the week.
“The time zone and conditions are obviously very different from back home, so we must acclimatise and settle in as quickly as possible to ensure that we are sharp at training and ready to be at our best by the time we face the All Blacks next weekend.”
The competition is wide open, with all four teams in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship having claimed victory in one match thus far. The standings are tight, making the upcoming bouts against the All Blacks crucial for the Springboks’ campaign.
With a week and a half to prepare, Erasmus underscored the importance of effective player management.
“We’ve worked out our training schedule this week in a way that would allow the players to recover from the two physical matches against Australia while at the same time steadily get into the swing of things for the next two matches,” he explained.
The training regimen will involve only two sessions this week, after which the team will go full throttle into standard Test match mode come Monday.
Both matches against the All Blacks will kick off at 9.05am (SA time)
IOL
