Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has included captain Siya Kolisi in the 15-man training squad for two preparation camps for the 2023 internationals.
SA Rugby confirmed that the camps this month are taking place to get their on and off-field structures in place.
Siya Kolisi involved
The first camp will take place from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 May, and the second camp will run from Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 May.
Stormers players have been excluded from the initial group as they prepare for the United Rugby Championship semi-final against Connacht.
The 15 players included players are from the local URC teams and a few Japanese-based players who have also completed their club commitments.
Players recovering from injuries, like captain Kolisi, have been included, while several other locally selected players might join the camps after completing their URC commitments.
“With the Vodacom United Rugby Championship nearing an end and the Castle Lager Rugby Championship around the corner, we decided to host two camps to get the ball rolling and get everyone on the same page for the international season,” said Springboks head coach Nienaber.
“The camps will include both off and on-field sessions, and they will offer us a great opportunity to get the building blocks in place for our first full-on training camp in June in preparation for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in July.
“These camps will build on those we hosted in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, respectively, at the end of February and March, which included a bunch of locally based players.”
Crucial to the Springboks season
The Boks head coach added that every day of preparation counts with the Rugby World Cup fast approaching.
“The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is around the corner, and then we have three warm-up games and the World Cup, so we have very little time to get all our plans in place and ensure we peak in terms of our performance to give us the best possible chance to defend our title in France,” he added.
“This is a crucial season, and it is imperative that we make important strides in each match we play and grow stronger together as team.”
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The squad includes eight Sharks players, and three Bulls, with the remaining four compiled from players who are based in Japan.
Players invited to Springbok camps: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Kolisi (all Sharks), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz), Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi (both Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Ox Nche (Sharks), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Grant Williams (Sharks).
Springboks 2023 fixtures
Rugby Championship:
Saturday, 8 July – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 15 July – Springboks vs New Zealand (Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland)
Saturday, 29 July – Springboks vs Argentina (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures:
Saturday, 5 August – Springboks v Argentina (Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires)
Saturday, 19 August – Springboks vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Friday, 25 August – Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London)
Rugby World Cup fixtures:
Sunday, 10 September – Springboks v Scotland (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Sunday, 17 September – Springboks v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
Saturday, 23 September – Springboks v Ireland (Stade de France, Paris)
Sunday, 1 October – Springboks v Tonga (Stade Marseille, Marseille)
Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
Saturday, 28 October – Final
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