‘Fantastic,’ says Erasmus as Bok coaches kick-off alignment camp

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has called the season’s first in-person discussions about the 2024 season “fantastic” following a two-day strategic meeting between the World Cup-winning team’s coaches in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Forty-three selected players will join the year’s first alignment camp on Wednesday for further planning and discussion.

The meeting between the coaches on Monday and Tuesday was the first of its kind since the Boks won the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Also, new assistants Tony Brown (attack) and Jerry Flannery (defence) met the rest of the Bok coaching team for the first time personally at the camp.

Former Test referee Jaco Peyper, now the Boks’ national laws advisor, was also involved in the discussions on Monday and Tuesday.

‘Fantastic’

“It was fantastic to have the coaches and Jaco in the same room and to share our ideas with an eye on the 2024 season,” said Erasmus.

“We’ve had several online meetings in the last few months, but the human element is always great, and this camp allowed everyone to get to know one another in a personal and professional manner.”

Erasmus, who has again taken over the head coach role following Jacques Nienaber’s move to Ireland, added: “We are pleased with the foundation laid before we kick off the player sessions on Wednesday, and it’s great to see the enthusiasm among the coaches to get the season underway.

“Tony, Jerry and Jaco leaped straight into the swing of things, and it’s fantastic to see how they bonded with the rest of the coaching team who have been in the system for the last few years, so we are looking forward to this new chapter for Springbok rugby.”

The focus of the alignment camp, which will run until Thursday, will be to expose the new players to the demands of Springbok rugby, the key areas for the coaches in the national system, and what the coaches will be looking for from the players when they select the squad for the international season.

The Boks open their 2024 season with a match against Wales at Twickenham in late June and that is followed by a two-Test series against Ireland and a one-off match against Portugal. That will be followed by the Rugby Championship Tests.