If there was to be a mantra for the opening two weeks of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for the Springboks, it would be a simple one: No Excuses.
The Boks will head out to Australia on Wednesday for their opening two matches against the Wallabies on August 10 and 17, giving themselves 10 days to acclimatise and settle in before taking on the Wallabies in two matches.
And while Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies have been under the pump in recent years, the Springboks have a poor record in Australia, having only won there five times since 1996, and losing four of the last five games down under.
This time around, coach Rassie Erasmus is under no illusions at the task at hand, and wants the Boks to play like they will win both games. And the record is certainly something that irks them when they think about the missed chances in years gone by.
AUSTRALIA REBUILDING BUT STILL DANGEROUS
Australia may be at the start of a rebuilding phase, but they are not going to be an easy team to play, especially given the way the Boks tend to trip themselves up in these fixtures over the past two decades.
“We are certainly well aware,” Erasmus said ahead of the team leaving for Australia.
“Every year there’s an excuse, whether it’s maybe the first time playing at a venue like Melbourne or whatever.
“We are a team that shouldn’t have excuses. What is a bit different is that in the past we would be in Super Rugby and play week-in, week-out against them. It almost feels like the Rugby Championship and end-of-year tour has swapped around now.
“It’s becoming a bit more difficult because some of the players are new to us. Joe Schmidt certainly isn’t new to us. We know they will be well-organised.”
NEW APPROACH SUGGESTED
Erasmus said they were trying out a new approach in heading earlier to Australia because of the flight delays that happened after their game against Wales in June that forced them to stay an extra night in Dubai.
A few snaps from training today 🔥💪#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/Ug9djtdrIC
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 30, 2024
While the team would fly direct to Sydney before heading on to Brisbane, they would give themselves extra time in case of travel delays and then be ready to have a full test week next week in the city affectionately known as Brisvegas.
“We are trying a bit of a new approach. We are flying tomorrow. We trained yesterday and will train today. We will get there on Thursday and have sessions on Friday and Saturday. Then we will try to get into a normal training week.
“Last time when we flew out, we flew on a Sunday and the flight was cancelled – not that it’s an excuse – but we are trying to negate those things. We just want a normal test week when we get to Australia. They are a proper team with a new coach and will have lots of energy.”
TOUGH CHALLENGE ANTICIPATED
Erasmus also said that he expected a tough challenge from Wallabies coach Schmidt, who he knows well from his time coaching at Munster when Schmidt was the Irish head coach. Schmidt was also part of the All Blacks management when the Boks beat them in the World Cup final last year.
“It’s definitely new under Joe. I worked under him when I was at Munster. He is a very hard worker. He is definitely a coach who brings the best out of players and he knows me well and the way I coach.
“There are lots of new names in their squad, who we haven’t played against in the last couple of years. It will be a big test for us. We’ve done our homework, but it will be tightly contested.”