The Springboks have wasted no time transitioning to Test mode for the 2023 international season, as the world champions kick into gear to conquer their rivals.
Fifteen players on Wednesday returned to the paddock for the Boks in Durban at the first of two preparation camps in May.
This week’s camp will conclude on Friday, while the second – which will feature players from the DHL Stormers who are preparing to face Munster in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town next week – will run from Monday, 29 May to Wednesday, 31 May.
The current group includes centre Lukhanyo Am, wing Makazole Mapimpi, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, utility forward Kwagga Smith and fullback Willie le Roux, and assembled on Tuesday and got straight into the swing of things with field training sessions, gym and team meetings.
They will have a further two field sessions on Thursday and one on Friday before returning home.
“It was fantastic to see how excited the players and members of team management were to return to the national set-up when we arrived in Durban,” said Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
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“This is a massive season for us and judging by the players’ enthusiasm to get back to the training field, we are excited about the journey ahead as we prepare for the Rugby Championship, our Rugby World Cup warm-up matches and the international showpiece in France.
“With these players having completed their franchise and club commitments, they can now turn their attention fully to the international season.”
Nienaber added: “We have a small group of players at this camp, but this affords us the luxury of giving them special attention. As we said at our first training camp in February, every minute with the players is crucial for us to get our structures and systems in place to ensure that we peak at the right time during the World Cup.
“We’ll have a bigger group of players at the next camp and at our Rugby Championship training camp in June, but this week will assist us greatly in putting the groundwork in place.
“Having a few injured players here such as Siya [Kolisi] and Eben [Etzebeth] is also a bonus, as they’ll participate in all our team meetings, while our medical team have already started working with them.”
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The Boks will begin their official preparations for the Rugby Championship at a training camp in Pretoria from Monday, 12 June to Friday, 30 June. They will kick off their 2023 international season against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, 8 July.
The second Test of the condensed version of the Rugby Championship is against the All Blacks at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland (15 July), before the Boks will return to South Africa for the closing match of the competition against Argentina in Johannesburg (29 July).
The Boks will play three Rugby World Cup warm-up matches: against Argentina in Buenos Aires (Saturday, 5 August), Wales in Cardiff (Saturday, 19 August) and New Zealand in London (Friday, 25 August) respectively.
They will then make their way to France for the international extravaganza where they face Scotland in Marseille (Sunday, 10 September), Romania in Bordeaux (Sunday, 17 September), Ireland in Paris (Saturday, 23 September) and Tonga in Marseille (Sunday, 1 October) during the pool stages.
Players invited to Bok camps: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Kolisi (all Sharks), Willie le Roux (Verblitz), Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi (both Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Ox Nche (Sharks), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Grant Williams (Sharks).
Springbok 2023 fixtures:
Rugby Championship:
Saturday, 8 July – vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 15 July – vs New Zealand (Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland)
Saturday, 29 July – vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
World Cup warm-ups:
Saturday, 5 August – v Argentina (Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires)
Saturday, 19 August – vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Friday, 25 August – vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London)
World Cup:
Sunday, 10 September – v Scotland (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Sunday, 17 September – v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
Saturday, 23 September – v Ireland (Stade de France, Paris)
Sunday, 1 October – v Tonga (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
Saturday, 28 October – Final
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter