Cape Town -After some logistical issues, which saw the Springboks' original flight to Australia being canceled, coach Jacques Nienaber says the objective now is to recover as well as possible to ensure a full training week.
The Boks arrived in Sydney early on Saturday morning, before making the trip to Adelaide. They will play their first of two Tests against the Wallabies at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday, 27 August, before taking them on in the second Test in Sydney on Saturday, 3 September.
Nienaber's men then take on Argentina in two Tests in Buenos Aires (17 September) and Durban (24 September).
The Boks’ original flight from Johannesburg to Sydney was canceled on Thursday night due to complications relating to flight staff, but the squad departed for Australia at midday on Friday.
“The players rested well on the plane, and everyone is excited to be in Australia are looking forward to our two Tests against the Wallabies,” said Nienaber.
“I must commend our operational staff for the swift manner in which they dealt with the cancellation of our original flight and for making things as simple as possible for the team to hop onto the next available flight.
👍 The Springboks have touched down in Australia and received a warm welcome in Adelaide - more here: https://t.co/sbRy5k7yLy#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/mdhfD1cP5j
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 20, 2022
“The professional manner in which the situation was dealt with resulted in minimal disruption to our programme, which is certainly pleasing from a coaching perspective.”
Nienaber added: “The team will have flush-out gym sessions in the next two days to recover from the travel, and we will follow our usual Test week programme from tomorrow.
“This is going to be a massive week for us, and everyone understands the importance of ensuring that they recover as well as possible so that we can train full-out on Monday as we look to get our Rugby Championship campaign back on track.
“We haven’t beaten Australia at home since 2013, so we are under no illusions about the challenge that lies ahead. We will have to be at best to start our tour on a positive note.”
IOL Sport