Rassie Erasmus pleased with foundation laid at Boks alignment camp

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is satisfied with the foundation laid at the two-day national team’s second alignment camp in Cape Town this week to set a good tone for the season ahead. 

A group of 38 players attended the camp, following up on the first camp in Cape Town in March and a series of online alignment sessions earlier in May. 

The players participated in a series of gym and off-field strategy sessions presented by the coaching staff to familiarise themselves with the structures the team will implement this season. 

“This camp was valuable in exposing the players to detailed aspects of the game we would like to implement this season,” said Erasmus. 

“At the first two alignment camps we adopted a broader view of what the coaching staff will look at in team selection and to introduce the players to the coaches and their ideas, and especially the new members of the coaching team, Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery and national laws adviser Jaco Peyper. 

“With our first Test less than a month away it was vital that we started introducing the players to our new systems so they have sufficient time to familiarise themselves with these structures as we plan to select the group of players for the Wales Test and Castle Lager incoming series.” 

Erasmus was happy with the enthusiasm of the players. 

“It was great to see the enthusiasm among the players and witness first-hand how they soaked up everything as they attempt to stake a claim for places in the national team, and we believe this will set us in good stead as a squad for the upcoming season. 

“As a coaching team, this camp allowed us to get a better understanding of the players and their skills to give them enough detail to work on in the next few weeks before we gather for the first official training camp in June.” 

Players from the Sharks, who are playing in the Challenge Cup final against Gloucester at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Friday night, were excluded from the camp. 

The double Rugby World Cup champions will kick off their 2024 international season against Wales on June 22, which will be followed by the Castle Lager incoming series which features back-to-back Test matches against second-ranked Ireland in Pretoria and Durban on July 6 and 13 respectively and a historic first Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein on July 20. 

The Springboks will gather in Pretoria on June 9 to begin their on-field preparations for the season, with the Test squad for the Wales match to be named soon after the conclusion of the United Rugby Championship quarterfinals on June 8.