The Springbok preparations continue, as the World Cup nears by the day. 14 of the Springbok players were spotted in Cape Town hard at work during their three week physical and rugby development camp. This is believed to be early preparations before these players can go
back to their respective teams for their last stride towards the 2023 France World Cup.
Siya Kolisi on the 2019 World Cup
The Springboks captain, Siya Kolisi also addressed the 2019 World Cup in a positive light, but a light of the past. He believes that the game is much faster now than it was in 2019. He believes that
what was enough to win them the 2019 World Cup won’t be enough to win this one. The game continuously evolves, and so do the rules of the game, the only way to win this World Cup is
to keep with the times.
The flyhalf battle
The depth in the fly half position is all but a coach’s dream. Willemse and Pollard are both starting fly half contenders. As many fans can say, if you put either of them in another country, they will be guaranteed a starting position, this won’t be the case for one of the two players come the World Cup. The options go deeper than just the two mentioned fly halves. The list extends to Manie Libbok and Frans Steyn too.
Prior to the 2019 glorious World Cup, Handre Pollard was known as the starting number 10, this was until an injury in 2022 saw him sidelined for the majority of the international season.
This opened a path for the 24 year old, Damian Willemse, who has since then made it
clear that he is ready for the big stages.
The three week physical and rugby development camp
A short footage was posted by the Springbok national team as they showcased how well the preparations were going. In the footage you can see many of South Africa’s stars training at
the Cape Town beach.
The assistant coach, Mzwandile Stick mentioned that the focus for now is on the fitness and the mentality of the players. He used the words, “better space and better shape.” He also stated
that these players would be walking back into the playoffs when they return to their teams,
so the focus for now is just limited to fundamentals.
Preparation Games
The preparation games will officially start in August, this will be after the Rugby Championship
that will see South Africa face New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina in July.
The warm up games will feature Argentina, Wales, and lastly New Zealand, all the games above
will be played away from home.
The World Cup will commence in the beginning of October, and end on the first of October.
The odds of the World Cup will be made available as soon as they are released by the
betting platforms. For those looking to bet on the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup,
or the Proteas at the ICC World Cup in India, bookmarking this page would be a good
first step as we will be bringing you all the live updates on both these World Cups.
