The Springboks wrapped up their Nations Championship training camp in Johannesburg on Thursday, with Rassie Erasmus declaring the necessary building blocks in place as his side prepares to shift into full Test mode.
Erasmus' squad travelled from Gqeberha to Johannesburg last Sunday and completed a productive week of training before dispersing for the weekend. The players will reassemble at their Johannesburg base on Sunday to begin official preparations for the Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park on Saturday, 4 July, with kick-off scheduled for 17h40.
"We had a productive training week, which afforded us the opportunity to work on the learnings we took from our matches against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe, so it was certainly a valuable week for the team," Erasmus said.
The Springbok coach acknowledged the step up in quality his side will face against England, who arrive as a settled squad fresh from their Six Nations campaign. "England are a quality outfit, and they will present a completely different challenge to that which we faced against the Barbarians, as they are a settled squad and come off a Six Nations campaign, but we are pleased that we had the opportunity to give our players invaluable game time before the Nations Championship begins," Erasmus said.
Test window takes shape
The England fixture marks the start of a demanding three-match home stretch for the Springboks in the Nations Championship. Following the Ellis Park encounter, Erasmus' side will face Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, 11 July, before hosting Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on 18 July.
Erasmus emphasised the alignment within the squad heading into the competition. "The team is aligned on the expectations and standards going into the competition, and we are pleased with the hard work they put in this week, so we are ready to get the international season into full swing next week," he said.
The warm-up matches against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe provided Erasmus with the opportunity to assess squad depth and fine-tune combinations ahead of the Nations Championship. With that groundwork complete, the focus now shifts to England and the opening salvo of what promises to be a demanding international campaign.