Wilco - It feels real now!

The Springboks arrived in Edinburgh one week out from Sunday’s clash with Scotland at Murrayfield feeling ready for action after an intense preparation camp in Jersey.

From the perspective of there just being six days separating next Sunday’s clash with the Scots at Murrayfield from the following Saturday’s showdown with England in London, the training camp was. It was also necessary from the angle of the Boks not having played together since their big win over Argentina that clinched the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title five weeks ago.

There’s also a third angle though, and that is the assimilation of new players into the group. The 140 kilogram strongman that is Vodacom Bulls tighthead prop Wilco Louw is not new, but he hasn’t played for the national team since 2021. So for him, the camp would have been extra important, and it enabled him to arrive in Edinburgh feeling more settled than might otherwise have been the case.

“It amazing, most of these players have won two World Cups, so it is an absolute privilege being back here,” said Louw in a voice note issued on the team’s arrival in Edinburgh.

“With all the experience in the group, it’s good to be on the field with all these legends. Hopefully we’ll have another good week of preparation in Scotland in the buildup to next week’s test match…

“It definitely feels real now,” he added. “We had a good training week. It offered us a great opportunity to align as a squad after everyone returned from their franchises and clubs.”

Louw reckons the Boks are where they want to be ahead of the Scotland game.

“The last week was tough, but good, and we’re in a good space. Everyone knows what our objectives are, which is important, as it’s going to be a tough game against Scotland.”

As the Scotland game is to be played on a Sunday the training week for the Boks will only start on Tuesday. Although that means the weekly media schedule is only due to come out sometime on Monday, as if it were a Sunday, it is likely the team announcement for the Scotland game will be on Wednesday.