The Springboks wrapped up two days of field sessions in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the squad now aligned and readied for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series opener against the All Blacks at 10bet Ellis Park on 22 August.
The 26-man travelling group that beat Argentina 17-10 in Buenos Aires last week returned to South Africa in two stages — Monday night and Tuesday — and spent the early part of the week on recovery and gym work before returning to the training field on Friday. The squad now has a day and a half off before Test week begins in earnest.
Johan Grobbelaar and Elrigh Louw have been released to the Bulls for their RGR fixture against the All Blacks on Saturday evening and will rejoin the national squad on Sunday.
Erasmus explained the measured approach to the week: "It was important to manage the players who travelled to Argentina well and afford them sufficient time to recover from the match and switch back into the domestic time zone, which is why we only started training as a full group late in the week. But we are pleased that the players are well recovered and ready to give everything for the forthcoming Tests against the All Blacks."
He drew a pointed comparison to the stakes involved: "This series is almost like playing the knock-out stages of a Rugby World Cup because we are facing one of the world's best week in and week out, and we all understand the magnitude of the RGR series."
The four-Test series runs across consecutive Saturdays — Ellis Park (22 August), DHL Stadium in Cape Town (29 August), FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (5 September), and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (12 September). The opener kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.