Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has explained the purpose of a training sojourn in France, after the world champions’ last World Cup warm-up fixture in August.

The Boks will be based in Bastia, Corsica, south of France until 1 September, when they will travel to their base in Toulon for the Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland in Marseille on 10 September.

“The Corsica camp will be ideal for the players to adapt to the conditions in France while fine-tuning our preparations for our first World Cup game,” said Nienaber.

“We reaped the rewards of spending time in Japan before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and hopefully this camp will be equally beneficial in getting the players used to the climate and culture in France.

“I’d like to thank the executive council of Corsica and the Corsica Rugby League for welcoming us for this important camp.”

The Bok will play three warm-up Tests, against Argentina in Buenos Aires (5 August), Wales in Cardiff (19 August) and New Zealand in London (25 August), respectively.

MORE: Boks switched on for ‘massive’ season

Meanwhile, Nienaber said he was satisfied that the small group of players present at the first of two preparation camps in Durban in May had reached their objectives as they launch into the 2023 international season.

The main aims of the camp, which wrapped up on Friday, were to get the players to switch into Test mode following their club and franchise commitments, and put the groundwork in place for the year, which will culminate in the World Cup.

The squad had five field training sessions and several off-field sessions since assembling in Durban on Tuesday. The second training camp, which is also in Durban, will run from 29 to 31 May.

“This camp was invaluable in getting the coaches and players on the same page in terms of our structures and systems as we prepare for this important season,” said Nienaber.

“The message from the coaches from day one was that the players had to leave the camp knowing what we expect from them on and off the field in the next few months as we look to select our Rugby World Cup squad in August.

“We have another training camp in Durban in two weeks, which will feature a bigger squad as we welcome the DHL Stormers after the Vodacom United Rugby Championship grand final, and perhaps a few more Japanese players who have completed their club commitments.

“That camp will give us another opportunity to get the players into the swing of things before our Pretoria training camp in June.”

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter