Springboks keep squad intact for one-off Wallabies Test
· The South African
Following their series victory in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, the Springbok squad travelled from Baltimore to Dallas on Monday and hopped onto a connecting flight to Sydney before travelling to their base in Terrigal north of Sydney, where they will begin training.
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All in all, the journey took the team more than 17 hours of travel.
Next weekend’s one-off match against Australia, which will be hosted at the Optus Stadium on Sunday 27 September in Perth, will mark the first time the two teams meet this year.
Although it was thought that Rassie Erasmus might split the squad and send some players home to rest and recuperate after a challenging series against New Zealand, there has been no indication of that being the case.
However, the Bok coach admitted that with the demanding travel schedule over the last few weeks and a handful of tough matches under the belt, player management was a key factor in the next few days to allow the players the best opportunity to recover well and ensure that they are ready both physically and mentally for the match.
“The players had a day off in Baltimore on Sunday before we embarked on the journey to Australia, and we obviously factored the impact the last three matches and the travel would have on the players in our planning.
“Andy Edwards, our Head of Athletic Performance, and our logistics team have been working closely in the last few months to ensure that we do everything possible off the field to keep the players fresh and ready, and it will be the same for our coaching staff when we begin training on Friday.
“They deserve a lot of credit for the smooth travel and the way they ensured that we make everything as simple as possible for the players to perform well, and we will continue to do everything we can next week to make our country proud and finish the tour well.”
Springboks turn attention to one-off Test
After next weekend’s clash against Australia, the Springboks will then have a brief break during October before heading on the end-of-year tour when the Nations Championship competition will resume.
“We always knew how tough the matches against Argentina and in RGR against the All Blacks would be, and we factored that into our preparation,” said Erasmus.
“Both Argentina and the All Blacks tested us thoroughly, and we have no doubt that we will be facing a determined Wallabies side that will want to put on a good show in front of their home crowd, and they will present a completely different challenge to that which we have faced in the last few Test matches.
“The Wallabies have been playing well, and we have no doubt they will come out firing in this match, which will require another full 80-minute performance from us to get the desired result next weekend.”
One eye on the World Cup
Of course it can’t be forgotten that this one-off match will represent another significant occasion for Erasmus and his charges to prepare for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia.
The Boks will face Romania in Perth in their third RWC pool game next year on Friday, 22 October 2027.