Rassie Erasmus is satisfied with the Springboks' preparation heading into next Saturday's Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park, after the squad completed a productive training week in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The players travel home for the weekend before reassembling at their Johannesburg base on Sunday to begin formal Test-week preparations.
Erasmus confirmed the week was used to process lessons from the Barbarians and Zimbabwe warm-up matches. He flagged England as a markedly different proposition to those opponents, citing their settled squad and Six Nations match sharpness.
"The team is aligned on the expectations and standards going into the competition," Erasmus said. "We are ready to get the international season into full swing next week."
After the England fixture on July 4, the Boks host Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on July 11 before travelling to Durban to face Wales at Kings Park on July 18.