Cape Town - The Springboks are set to start preparing for the 2023 rugby season in Cape Town on Sunday although only with a squad of 14 players.
This is the first of a bunch of training camps set up in the World Cup year and will involve a series of off-field alignment sessions as well as on-field training sessions to prepare the players from a rugby and physical perspective for the rest of the season.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and SA Rugby's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus along with the assistant coaches and management will be at the helm of the three-week camp. It's set to end on the 10th of March thereafter the Boks will head back to their respective franchises for the backend of the United Rugby Championship (URC) as well as the play-offs of the European Champions Cup.
“All of these players come off an important resting period, so the next three weeks will be crucial to ensure that they return to full-out rugby as effectively as possible and to get everyone aligned with our structures going into the World Cup year," Jacques Nienaber, Bok coach, said in a statement.
The Springboks start their tests this year against Australia (8 July at Loftus Versfeld) in a truncated Rugby Championship, followed by clashes with New Zealand (Auckland) and Argentina (Ellis Park) before they play World Cup warm-up matches against Argentina (Buenos Aires), Wales (Cardiff) and the Al Blacks (London).
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These warm-up matches should be the perfect test for the Boks ahead of the defence of their World Cup on 10 September against Scotland.
“We are thrilled to get this important season going albeit with a small group of players as we look forward to the Rugby World Cup in less than seven months,” Nienaber added.
"Player management will be particularly important this season to get the squad to peak at the right time, while at the same time getting the desired results in the Rugby Championship, our World Cup warm-up games and at the international showpiece as we attempt to defend our title.
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“Our first Rugby World Cup encounter against Scotland on Sunday, 10 September, is approaching fast, so we have to make the most of each day we have with the players.”
The Boks are in the so-called pool of death with Scotland, Ireland, Tonga and Romania with only two of the teams progressing to the quarter-finals.
Scotland and the Irish are currently unbeaten in the Six Nations Championship where the Scots already triumphed over England and Wales. The Irish beat World Cup hosts and favourites France and a struggling Welsh side.
Erasmus said they can't wait to get to work in what is a "massive" year for the team.
He's been in the news recently for another Twitter outburst where he criticized former Bok coach Nick Mallett but will be keen to get back to the rugby side of things.
“This is a massive year for the team, and we can’t wait to get back into the swing of things with an eye on the World Cup.
“With the URC on the go, we only have a small bunch of players available to work with at this stage. But we know from experience that every minute with the players on and off the field counts in a World Cup year."
Erasmus also thanked the local franchises and MyPlayers, the players union, for their cooperation and for agreeing to rest the top Springboks so that they can be physically and mentally ready for the big year.
After Saturday's local derby the Sharks still have two matches against Ulster (25 February) and the Stormers (4 March) without their Boks, while the Bulls (vs the Lions on 4 March) and Stormers only have one game each without their players of national interest.
Springbok 2023 fixtures:
Rugby Championship:
Saturday, 8 July – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria); Saturday, 15 July – Springboks vs New Zealand (Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland); Saturday, 29 July – Springboks vs Argentina (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg).
World Cup warm-up fixtures:
Saturday, 5 August – Springboks v Argentina (Buenos Aires); Saturday, 19 August – Springboks vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff); Friday, 25 August – SA vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London).
Rugby World Cup fixtures:
Sunday, 10 September – Springboks v Scotland (Stade Velodrome, Marseille); Sunday, 17 September – Springboks v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux); Saturday, 23 September – Springboks v Ireland (Stade de France, Paris); Sunday, 1 October – Springboks v Tonga (Stade Velodrome, Marseille).
Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
Saturday, 28 October – Final