Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick pictured during a training session. FILE - Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says the players have trained with a smile on their face since landing in the United Kingdom. Picture: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Assistant coach Mzandile Stick says the Springbok have taken their intense training sessions at their camp in Jersey in their stride as they ramp up preparations for their November Tests.
After a rest day on Monday following their trip to the little island of Jersey, which is located in the English channel between England and France, the Springboks have had to endure two training sessions a day on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The team will have a rest day on Thursday, before hitting the field again on Friday. The squad will then travel from Jersey to Edinburgh on Sunday for their opening Test against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday 10 November, before moving on to London to face England a week later. The final match of their tour will be against Wales in Cardiff on November 23.
“We have two days of training under the belt, and from a coaching perspective it's been a good,” said Stick.
Determination 😤![CDATA[]]>🛠️
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📹: Thank you @StriveJersey for hosting us 🤝#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/sgjpY86d1N
“In terms of the training itself, we're fortunate to have this training camp because some of the players have been participating in the United Rugby Championship, while some of the Japanese players have been off.
“So the main goals for the week have been to ensure that we focus on how we want to play and build the intensity of our training sessions.
“It's been tough because we’ve had double training sessions in the last two days and we're really pushing the players. But this week has given us an opportunity to implement what we’d like to and introduce a few things, so by the time we reach Test week in a few days, we don't overload the players.
“(But) one can also sense the excitement among the players, and they're really putting the hard work at gym and at the field sessions.”
Looking ahead at the tour, Stick expected a challenging series, but he said their focus at this stage was solely on the clash against Scotland, who the Boks previously faced during their 2023 Rugby World Cup pool match.
“I think we'd be stupid to look too far ahead, so our main focus at the moment is on Scotland,” said Stick.
“If you look at the Six Nations competition earlier this year, Scotland put in some great performances. They won against England and Wales, and it was close until late in the game against Ireland, so they’re a tough team to beat.
“They’ll also have a good crowd behind them, and they have quality players, so if we allow them to perform, they can punish us.
“They’re in a good space as a team, and there’s consistency in their coaching staff, so it's going to be a tough match.”
@JohnGoliath82
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