Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the focus at the Johannesburg camp was to get the players back into the swing of things after many of them had a well-deserved 10-day break.  

Many key players including captain Siya Kolisi were released from camp before the Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein, and Erasmus stressed the importance of setting the tone for what he anticipates will be a vastly different challenge in the southern hemisphere spectacle.  

This after the Bok coach assembled the squad in Johannesburg on Sunday for a short camp before their departure to Australia on Wednesday. 

“The vibe in the camp is fantastic and one can sense the enthusiasm among the players, so the break was beneficial for both the players and coaches,” said Erasmus. 

“We worked out our programme in such a way that we could fit in a few gym and training sessions on Monday and Tuesday before we travel on Wednesday, and our intention is to acclimatise as quickly as possible down under to ensure that we are as prepared as possible by the time we slot back into full Test-match mode next week before our opening game of the competition in Brisbane next week Saturday.” 

The Springboks will face Australia in Brisbane and Perth on 10 and 17 August respectively, before returning to South Africa to play back-to-back matches against New Zealand on Saturday, 31 August in Johannesburg, and 7 September in Cape Town. They will then take a short trip to Argentina to face Los Pumas in Santiago on Saturday, 21 September, before wrapping up the tournament in Nelspruit against Argentina on Saturday, 28 September.