Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has opened up about the importance of building momentum in all their pre-World Cup Tests before they head off to the tournament in France.
The Springboks are scheduled to play a total of 10 Tests (excluding any potential World Cup playoffs) this year, and six of those will take place before they head off to France for RWC 2023.
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In an interview with rugby365.com, Nienaber explained that while the hope the Springboks go unbeaten in the Rugby Championship, load management of players will take precedence as the prepare for the World Cup.
“We want to win every Test, but there might be some rotational changes throughout the six Tests leading up to the World Cup,” said Nienaber.
“We have a plan set out in how we want to tackle the six Tests. But we will be forced to re-evaluate.
“You want to go into the World Cup with momentum. We have a plan for the first three Tests – the Rugby Championship. However, depending on injuries and how much squad depth there is in each position, we might rejig the team.”
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Nienaber added that this is the reason the Springboks’ management team is considering the utilisation of split squads for the opening two Rugby Championship Tests against the Wallabies and the All Blacks. The Springboks are set to face Australia at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria on 8 July followed by a clash against New Zealand in Auckland a week later.
“Depending on how many players we have available, we could send 15 guys to New Zealand earlier,” added the Bok coach.
“That will depend on injuries. However, it is something we have done in the past and may do again.”
SPRINGBOKS TEST FIXTURES IN 2023
Rugby Championship
✈ 8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
✈ 15 July: South Africa vs New Zealand (Mount Smart, Auckland)
✈ 29 July: South Africa vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
World Cup warm-ups
✈ 5 August: South Africa vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)
✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
✈ 25 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Rugby World Cup
✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
✈ 17 September: Springboks vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris)
✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
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