Three Springboks front-rowers have revisited the pre-2019 Rugby World Cup camp and the photo that went viral and led to accusations that the team was doping.<\/p>\n
The Boks hit the headlines ahead of the tournament when an image surfaced of the majority of the squad posing without shirts on, many of them sporting six-packs and looking in peak condition.<\/p>\n
This was after a gruelling training camp, spearheaded by former strength and conditioning coach Aled Walters, who now works with Ireland.<\/p>\n
Aled Walters\u2019 pre-World Cup camp<\/p>\n
The image led many to suggest that the Springboks<\/a> were using steroids in the build-up to the World Cup<\/a> and was used as the headline photo in the Telegraph\u2019s article that slammed the significant drop in South Africa\u2019s drug-testing numbers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Ireland great Stephen Ferris posted the picture on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, at the time, and many of the comments featured syringes, GIFs of Lance Armstrong, and suggestions that they should all be tested.<\/p>\n Speaking on the For the Love of Rugby SA<\/a> podcast, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, and Trevor Nyakane reflected on that pre-tournament camp and what the coaches put them through.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething about 2019 that no one actually talks about is how tough that pre-season was with Aled Walters,\u201d Kitshoff said, kicking off the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cBoys were losing three or four kilos a day!\u201d<\/p>\n That sparked a reaction from both Mbonambi and Nyakane. \u201cLord have mercy,\u201d the former remarked with the latter adding, \u201cBoys had six packs in the front-row!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAled did a job hey,\u201d Mbonambi continued. \u201c2019 was special and as you said, pre-season was absolutely madness. It was brutal.\u201d<\/p>\n Usually, players aren\u2019t keen to get into the ice baths for recovery, but during camp, the coaches didn\u2019t need to ask twice, according to the two props, particularly because of how much weight the players were shedding during the sessions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boys spent more time in ice baths than they did on the field,\u201d Kitshoff remarked.<\/p>\n \u2018Open wounds\u2019 from Springboks \u2018hammering\u2019 inspired England\u2019s improvement as Ellis Genge relishes \u2018most dominant pack ever\u2019 challenge<\/a><\/p>\n Springboks coaches tried to break the players<\/p>\n Nyakane added, \u201cThey didn\u2019t even have to ask us to get into the ice baths. We ran into the ice bath because you\u2019re burning out. You\u2019ve lost a couple of kilograms just from training, and you are dehydrated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember the photo we took in the gym? That\u2019s an elite photo,\u201d Mbonambi said. \u201cThat was pure hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n The hooker believes that the camp was used as a test for the players to see who would break and who wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Aled was trying to break a few guys there. They were trying to see who was going to break, who was going to give up. And no one did,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best thing about that group is that we just stuck it out. It wasn\u2019t enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say that they have this hell week; we had the same thing,\u201d Nyakane added, while Kitshoff added that \u201cIt wasn\u2019t good for our health or future.\u201d<\/p>\n