RUGBY NEWS - The Springboks have arrived in Australia from the USA for their one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth next Sunday, with coach Rassie Erasmus saying “they will present a completely different challenge” to that which the Boks have faced so far this year.

Erasmus’ team took 17 hours to get from Baltimore, via Dallas, to Sydney over the last two days. They will train in Sydney over the coming days before relocating to Perth at a later date.

The Boks go into next weekend’s Test on the back of a 3-1 series triumph over the All Blacks.

Erasmus said he and his charges were looking forward to the match in Perth and were determined to finish off their current tour on a high note before heading back to South Africa for a few weeks ahead of the away leg of the Nations Championship in November.

“Both Argentina and the All Blacks tested us thoroughly, and we have no doubt that we will be facing a determined Wallabies side that will want to put on a good show in front of their home crowd, and they will present a completely different challenge to that which we have faced in the last few Test matches.

“The Wallabies have been playing well, and we have no doubt they will come out firing in this match, which will require another full 80-minute performance from us to get the desired result next weekend.”

The Bok coach admitted that with the demanding travel schedule over the last few weeks and a handful of tough matches under the belt, player management was a key factor in the next few days to allow the players the best opportunity to recover well and ensure that they are ready both physically and mentally for the match.

“The players had a day off in Baltimore on Sunday before we embarked on the journey to Australia, and we obviously factored the impact the last three matches and the travel would have on the players in our planning.

“Andy Edwards, our Head of Athletic Performance, and our logistics team have been working closely in the last few months to ensure that we do everything possible off the field to keep the players fresh and ready, and it will be the same for our coaching staff when we begin training on Friday.

“They deserve a lot of credit for the smooth travel and the way they ensured that we make everything as simple as possible for the players to perform well, and we will continue to do everything we can next week to make our country proud and finish the tour well.”

Erasmus is expected to name his matchday-23 on Monday.

Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen

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