The Springboks recently had an “intense” and “detailed” training camp in Stellenbosch prior to departing for their tour of Europe. This is according to Springbok loose forward, Evan Roos.
The three day training camp concluded on 26 October. It was an “awesome experience”, said Roos.
The Springboks will play Ireland in Dublin on 5 November, followed by matches against France in Marseille, Italy in Genoa, and England in London on 12, 19 and 26 November respectively. This is according to a media release published on the Springbok’s website.
The Springboks trained at the Danie Craven Stadium, home of the FNB Maties as part of their preparations for the upcoming tour of Europe, said Evan Roos, Springbok and DHL Stormers loose forward. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
A brief stay in Stellies
During the camp, the team stayed at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), and made use of the centre’s indoor rugby field and gym, said Roos.
“We also used the Danie Craven rugby field to train on,” Roos added.
A major perk of hosting training camps in Stellenbosch is having the necessary facilities within close proximity of each other, said De Jongh Borchardt, senior communications manager for the South African Rugby Union.
“We often have camps [in Stellenbosch], as the facilities at SAS are great,” he said. “Training fields are close. The gym, hotel and dining room are all there, so it works very well.”
New additions
Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Roos’ teammates at the DHL Stormers, received their first Springbok call-ups following the camp. The two debutants are in good form and have earned their spot in the team, according to Craig Ray, sports editor at Daily Maverick.
Roos was delighted with their inclusion and considers every call-up an “honour”.
“I couldn’t help but smile when I got the message,” Roos said. “I am so honoured and humbled to be part of this – it’s a childhood dream.”
The 22-year-old Roos currently has one Springbok cap, having made his debut on 9 July 2022 against Wales.
Evan Roos was recently named DHL Stormers’ players’ player of the year – an award he considers “a massive honour”. VIDEO: Tim Malinzi
Expert analysis
The contributions of Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am will be missed, as the two are injured and excluded from the tour, Ray told MatieMedia.
“Am is a massive loss,” Ray said about the outside centre, noting that 13 is the “kingpin defensive position”.
For Ray, three out of four wins on the tour will be “more than acceptable”.
“It’s a tough tour,” said Ray. “You have Ireland, you have France – number one and two in the world. Then you have England at Twickenham and we haven’t won there since 2014.”
“If we could win two of those three big tests, and beat Italy of course, that would constitute a very successful tour.”
Because of the cold and wet conditions in Europe during the tour, Ray expects the Springboks to stick to their usual territorial style of play.
“I wouldn’t expect [the Springboks] to be throwing the ball around too much,” said Ray. “It will be very much territorial dominated stuff, set-piece dominated – the usual rugby style of play for the Springboks.”
On 29 October, the Springboks announced the squad touring Europe this November. Among the team are Springbok debutants Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Jason Jenkins also returns to the squad after four years. GRAPHIC: Tim Malinzi