Boks’ approach more relaxed this time around

Unlike the tension-filled build-up to the first Test against England in Bloemfontein last week, there appears to be a far more laid-back approach in the Springbok camp this week.

That is if Monday afternoon’s training session is anything to go by.

The Boks were a pretty relaxed bunch on the fields of St Stithians, and they should be following their record 58-10 win over Brian Ashton’s men at the weekend.

Preparations for this Saturday’s second Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria got underway in rather quiet circumstances when only a handful of the 35-man squad played a game of touch rugby at St Stithians.

The bulk of the group – predominantly the starting 15 from last weekend and a few others – spent the afternoon in the gym, while coach Jake White and his assistants, including technical adviser Rassie Erasmus, were involved in what team media manager Vusi Kama called a “theory session”.

White and Co were no doubt reviewing the Boks’ performance in Bloemfontein and seeking ways to improve the first phase attack, one of the areas the Boks battled in on Saturday.

The Bok squad was swelled to 35 with AJ Venter, JP Pietersen, Akona Ndungane and Jaque Fourie back in the fold.

Venter was his busy self on the training ground Monday after getting married at the weekend, while Pietersen and Ndungane have shaken off injuries.

Fourie, who is still coming back from injury, was in the gym with some of his teammates.

“Jaque is back in the camp which is good news for us, but it’s also good to see Akona and JP fit again,” said Bok team manager Zola Yeye.

“Jaque will be assessed on a day-to-day basis, while Andre Pretorius’ recovery is being monitored.”

Big Os du Randt was also back in the mix on Monday, but the veteran loosehead prop played no part in the game of touch rugby, opting to rather get his right upper leg back to full strength by running on the side of the field with the team’s fitness coach Henning Gericke.

Yeye said the size of the squad made for good competition among the players.

“The win over England has lifted the spirits and the confidence is up. There’s a great team dynamic at the moment and we’re all working with the same goal in mind.

“With so many players coming in each week there is no such thing as complacency among the guys,” Yeye continued.

“There are only 30 places available for the World Cup squad and everyone who’s here wants to be in that group.

“There’s a good fight going on to stay in the squad… because no one wants to go home on the weekends.”

Yeye said between six and nine players would again be chopped from the current group on Wednesday. They will go home and then join the squad again next Monday.