The Springboks won the prestigious tournament last year for the first time since 2019 in an impressive campaign in which they suffered only one defeat \u2013 against Argentina by a single point in Santiago del Estero \u2013 and Erasmus\u2019 charges will go full-out to defend their title and retain the Freedom Cup (against New Zealand) and Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate (against Australia) this year.<\/p>\n
The Boks will begin their campaign with back-to-back Tests against the Wallabies in Johannesburg and Cape Town, before facing the All Blacks in successive matches in Auckland and Wellington, before returning to Durban to face Argentina, and then travel to London, where they will wrap up their campaign against Los Pumas.<\/p>\n
We are always careful about the opposition in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship,\u201d said Erasmus.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia showed last weekend that they have what it takes to win a match against a team like the British & Irish Lions, and they have an opportunity to try to achieve that this weekend, so we are expecting tough battles against them, as well as New Zealand and Argentina.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Boks on a four-match winning run so far this season following victories against the Barbarians and a Castle Lager Incoming Series clean-sweep against Italy and Georgia, to add to their training camp weeks, Erasmus said: \u201cWe would have eight weeks of proper preparation before we take the field in the Castle lager Rugby Championship, and we are pleased with the physicality that Italy and Georgia brought against us in the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have another three weeks to prepare for the matches against Australia, so we\u2019ll be working hard on the training field in the next few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bok coach added: \u201cWe always knew that our first few matches would not be as tough as the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, even though the opposition was competitive and physical, but we are now going up against teams with solid game plans and a different intensity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia would have also come off the British & Irish Lions Series by the time we face them, so it will be a challenging tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erasmus admitted that this week\u2019s training camp was not originally part of their schedule, but he said it would benefit the team on several fronts: \u201cThese two weeks of camp will give us time to align as coaches, as well as on the conditioning aspects for the players and to take stock from a medical perspective, so it\u2019s important in assisting us to get to where we want to be against three good countries in the series.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to questions about including the three Young Guns, Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead \u2013 all of whom were members of the Junior Springbok team that won the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time since 2012 \u2013 in the squad for the conditioning camp, Erasmus said: \u201cThe coaches will be involved in the team until 2027, so it\u2019s important for us to continue developing our depth and ensuring that we have at least three players to pick from in each position.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t see the Young Guns playing Test matches this year, but exposing them to this environment and allowing them to participate in all our boardroom and field sessions is great for them to learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve fitted in well and they appear to be enjoying it, while it\u2019s also good for the more experienced players to see the talent that is coming through the ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Springboks will wrap up the first week of their training camp on Thursday afternoon and spend the weekend with their families, before re-assembling in Johannesburg on Sunday to continue their on-field preparations.<\/p>\n
Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixtures:
16 August: SA v Australia \u2013 Ellis Park, Johannesburg (17h10)
23 August: SA v Australia \u2013 DHL Stadium, Cape Town (17h10)
6 September: New Zealand v SA \u2013 Eden Park, Auckland (09h05)
13 September: New Zealand v SA \u2013 Sky Stadium, Wellington (09h05)
27 September: SA v Argentina \u2013 Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (17h10)
4 October: Argentina v SA \u2013 Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London (15h00)<\/p>\n