Allister Coetzee says he is satisfied with the outcome of the Springboks' rehabilitation and conditioning camp that finished on Thursday.
A group of 19 selected players attended the four-day camp, which started on Monday at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport. The purpose of the camp was to ascertain knowledge about the condition of players returning from injury, undergoing rehabilitation and those who are struggling with niggles.
Coetzee will announce a 31-man Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship after the Super Rugby final on Saturday, where the Lions will meet the Hurricanes in Wellington.
According to the Bok coach, the four-day get-together in Stellenbosch gave his management a great opportunity to work through some important medical, conditioning and technical planning with the players.
'The reality is that we will play against Argentina in two weeks’ time, and only 13 players of this group in Stellenbosch could participate in on-field fundamentals and conditioning sessions,' Coetzee said.
'However, it was all-important for us to use this time together because some of those players last played in the Test series in June or during the Super Rugby round-robin matches. The physical readiness of the players is paramount in terms of our overall planning. We have to find a balance between maintaining and also improving the conditioning of the players, and this week’s activation was crucial for our preparations.'
The Bok training squad, excluding overseas-based players and the Lions contingent, will assemble on Sunday afternoon in Johannesburg. The group will spend the week training on the Highveld before moving camp on 14 August to Nelspruit, where the first Rugby Championship meeting against Argentina will take place on 20 August.
The following players attended the four-day rehabilitation and conditioning camp in Stellenbosch: Damian de Allende (Stormers), Lood de Jager (Cheetahs), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Stormers/Pumas), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Pat Lambie (Sharks), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (Stormers), Oupa Mohoje (Cheetahs), Beast Mtawarira (Sharks), Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks), Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Stormers), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Coenie Oosthuizen (Sharks), Rudy Paige (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Jan Serfontein (Bulls), Adriaan Strauss (Bulls).
Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
