The Springboks will prepare a little differently this week ahead of Sunday’s Test match against Scotland at Murrayfield.
The Boks arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday after their week-long training camp in Jersey, a Channel Island between the England and France. Normally their preparation starts on a Monday, but coach Rassie Erasmus has given the players the day off before starting their Test week on Tuesday.
The reason for this is to get the Springboks ready for an unusual Sunday Test (6.10pm kickoff). The last time the South Africans played on a Sunday was in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France. Earlier in the tournament they also faced Scotland on a Sunday.
The Springboks normally do their team announcement on a Tuesday, but it could now be moved to a Wednesday or Thursday.
The Sunday kickoff will give Scotland an extra day to recover from their 57-17 victory over Fiji this past Saturday. But the Boks will now have one less day to prepare for their match against England next Saturday, before concluding their tour with a Test against Wales on Saturday, November 23.
However, the Boks are just keen to get into match mode after some hard graft in Jersey, where they had two sessions a day for most of the week.
“We had a good training week in Jersey,” tighthead prop Wilco Louw said.
“It offered us a great opportunity to align as a squad after everyone returned from their franchises and clubs, so we’re really excited about the week ahead here in Scotland.”
Bulls prop Louw says the team the week has helped everyone to know their roles going forward. Erasmus would have probably outlined already who will play when, as he is likely to give minutes to the majority of the squad over the next three weeks.
“We’re definitely where we want to be going to into the tour after having a chance to get on the same page and focus on the match against Scotland next week,” said Louw.
“The last week was tough, but good, and we’re in a good space. Everyone knows what our objectives are, which is important because it’s going to be a tough game against Scotland.
“They kept the team busy in the Rugby World Cup pool match last year, so we know it’s going to be challenging, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Louw, who has 14 caps under his belt, is back in the Springboks’ fold for the first time since 2021. He missed out on the last two World Cup wins because of the sheer quality of the Boks’ tightheads.
However, he is likely to feature in at least one of the Test matches in the United Kingdom following Frans Malherbe’s ankle injury.
“It’s amazing – most of these players have won two World Cups, so it’s an absolute privilege being back here,” he said.
“With all the experience in the group, it’s good to be on the field with all these legends. Hopefully we’ll have another good week of preparation in Scotland in the lead-up to the Test match.”
@JohnGoliath82