Springboks in peak condition

Springbok conditioning coach Derik Coetzee says the benefits of resting the contracted players for the Currie Cup and year-end tour are obvious.

Key Bok players were placed on an “active rest” conditioning programme at the end of last season, with the view of ensuring that they would ultimately reach the World Cup in France at optimal fitness. That goal, said Coetzee, was well on track with those players showing significant improvements in all aspects of their conditioning.

“I predicted that you would start to see the benefits in the Super 14, and those were manifest. Guys like Percy Montgomery, John Smit and Victor Matfield have performed brilliantly in the tournament, and the rest they got was a huge contributor to that form. One noticeable thing is that all of the players involved in the conditioning programme have improved 10-15% on their speed, which is a vital component of any players armoury.”

He also lauded the Super 14 teams for their commitment to the Bok cause.

“All the Super 14 conditioning coaches have to take credit, because when we got the guys before the first Test they were in excellent condition,” he said. “All the players in the squad have improved significantly in the last three years, so I’m really excited. It seems like our whole programme has worked quite nicely.”

But while he was pleased with the progressions made, he said the fact that the Bulls and the Sharks contested the Super 14 final had set their programmes back slightly. The entire training squad was due to arrive in Bloemfontein on May 9, which would’ve given Coetzee and his team two weeks with the players.

“I thought maybe one South African team would reach the semi-finals although their success has been tremendous for South African rugby,” he said. “We prepared for three scenarios, and the worst one, from a conditioning perspective, was that the Bulls and Sharks contested the final because that meant that we only had four sessions with the players.

“So I had to readjust my plans slightly. To get your whole conditioning structure in place in one week is terribly difficult, but we managed.”

Asked whether the players would receive further rest periods Coetzee was clear.

“It’s a long season, we have two home games as well as the Tri-Nations before we head off to the World Cup. You have to understand that the World Cup is the most important consideration for us this year,” he stressed.

“I can tell you every player’s game time and injury profile for the last two years because we’ve got an individually tailored plan for each of those players. Injuries obviously mean that we have to adjust our plans slightly, but you’ll see in future that some players will have active rest periods, where we’ll work on certain weaknesses.

“It’s all about planning for the World Cup.”

The Boks welcomed back JP Pietersen and Akona Ndungane from injury at their training session held at St Stithians, while AJ Venter returned from his honeymoon in the Seychelles.

There were no serious injuries from the Bloemfontein Test, and Coetzee was upbeat about the recovery of certain key Boks.

“There are one or two players with little bumps but nothing to fret over,” he said. “Jaque Fourie has made a remarkable recovery and he could come into consideration for Loftus if the coaches want him to play.

“Os du Randt is busy with the final stages of his rehabilitation and he’ll be ready in three or four days time. He’ll start rugby specific training from tomorrow, but we won’t risk him this weekend. We’ve got a long-term plan with him, so we’ll make sure his 100% fit before we start him.

He said that Fourie du Preez would join the squad in two weeks time while Andre Pretorius was likely be available for selection for the match against Samoa in a fortnight.