The Springboks arrived in Jersey in high spirits on Monday keen to get their preparations underway for the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
They will be based on the Channel Island between England and France for a week-long training camp before departing for Scotland for their opening Test of the November internationals.
Unfortunately for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team, experienced prop Frans Malherbe was forced to remain behind in South Africa due to an ankle injury suffered in the DHL Stormers’ Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, with a decision yet to be made on whether he will be replaced in the touring squad.
The Castle Lager Rugby Championship title holders will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday 10 November), England in London (Saturday 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.
Andy Edwards, the Springboks’ head of athletic performance, was excited about the training camp on the scenic island, and said it was the perfect destination to get the team’s preparations going ahead of what is set to be a tough tour against three fresh opponents.
“It’s our first time together after the Rugby Championship, and with the players doing different things over the last few weeks, it’s good to get back together and regroup,” said Edwards.
“The Vodacom URC players had a combination of down time with others playing, and the UK and European-based players are also back from their clubs, while the Japanese players were on a break.
“The main thing is to get back into the swing of things in terms of what the coaches want to do planning wise, and tightening things up again before the November internationals.
“With us being in Jersey, which is close to the UK, it will certainly make the transition easier for the players ahead of the November tour.”
Commenting on training camp in a new location, Edwards said: “Jersey has everything we need, and it’s close to the UK, especially with us heading to Scotland next, so there won’t be concerns around long-haul travel going into the first Test, which is a big positive.
“It’s also a small island and gives us an opportunity to experience something different.
“I don’t think anyone in this group has been to Jersey before, and over and above that, they have world class facilities that are only a few years old, which ticks all the boxes for our high-performance needs with a great gym and fields.
“The L’Horizon Hotel (where the Boks are based) looks out onto the ocean, so from a team perspective we can push hard in terms of rugby intensity, while also achieving the balance of down time and social cohesion before the Tests.”
Edwards added: “With some guys having been in the UK with their Vodacom URC teams, they have already acclimatised to the weather conditions in the northern hemisphere, but for the players who have been in South Africa, it’s good to get them used to the conditions here.”
The players based in South Africa over the weekend made the overnight journey from Johannesburg directly to London on Sunday night and had a brief transit at Heathrow Airport before taking a short 40-minute flight to Jersey. The rest of the travelling contingent arrived from Venice, Montpellier, Bath, Leicester and Dublin respectively.
The players had Monday off to rest and recover from the journey to Jersey, with the squad set to begin their on-field preparations on Tuesday.
Source: SA Rugby
