Though Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says his group are in a good place right now ahead of the start of the Test season in a month’s time, he admitted he’d only know if his alignment camps achieved their goals once the action is underway.
Erasmus was speaking on Thursday, at the conclusion of his second and final alignment camp in Cape Town, which included a large group of players. On-field preparations will start in early June ahead of the Boks’ first match against the Barbarians on 20 June.
This week’s alignment camp included a series of boardroom sessions presented by the coaches to ensure that the players are aligned on the structures, as well as a gym session before wrapping things up with a visit to Saru House on Thursday.
‘Easy to talk now’
“Every year after an alignment camp, we say we are happy with where we are currently, but I guess it will only be clear when we start playing,” said Erasmus.
“What we’ve tried to introduce with the alignment camps was to bring in young players who haven’t been part of our system, and others who have only been to one or two camps, so in that sense, the players are starting to feel more comfortable. They also got the opportunity to know the coaches and a little more about the structures.
“There were also injured players who were not in attendance, and some guys who attended virtually, so there were different goals, but we believe most of them were achieved. That said, it’s easy to talk now. Obviously, it has to translate onto the field.”
‘In a good place’
Erasmus added: “I think there have been more than 60 players in the two alignment camps, so in terms of spreading the net and ensuring that everyone received a fair start, we feel that has been done.
“Then there are the on-field aspects, where some guys may still be playing, and others will be flying in from abroad. In general, however, I think we are in a good place as a group, and everyone knows what we expect of each other when we start training.”
Erasmus will name his training squad for next month’s camp in the next two weeks.
Following the match against the Barbarians, the Boks will take on England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July) as part of the new Nations Championship.
They will then also face Argentina in Buenos Aires (8 August) before four Tests against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.
The Boks will later travel to Australia to face the Wallabies in Perth (27 September), before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe, with matches against Italy (7 November), France (13 November) and Ireland (21 November), ahead of the Finals Weekend in London (27 to 29 November).
