A LEKKER TRIP

THE Springboks arrived in Auckland in high spirits and excited about the challenge of facing their arch-rivals, the All Blacks, in back-to-back Tests in the Rugby Championship.

The Boks made the journey from South Africa to Auckland on Tuesday and arrived at midnight local time on Wednesday.

They’ll have a gym session and recovery day on Thursday before taking the field for their first training session on Friday.

The Boks will battle it out with the All Blacks at Eden Park next Saturday, and at the Wellington Regional Stadium a week later on 13 September.

They will then return to South Africa to face Argentina at Kings Park on 27 September, before wrapping up their campaign against the Pumas in London on 4 October.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus wysed: “We travelled well, and although it’s a long trip to New Zealand, we are excited to be here and we are looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“It’s always tough playing here, but the group is in good spirits, and we are fully aware of the magnitude of the task ahead.

“With all four teams in the Rugby Championship having won one match so far and the standings very tight at this stage, there’s no doubt that the next two games will be crucial in our campaign, so it’s good that we travelled early in the week.”

He added: “The time zone and conditions are obviously very different from back home, so it’s important that we acclimatise and settle in as quickly as possible to ensure that we are sharp at training and ready to be at our best by the time we face the All Blacks next weekend.”

With a week and a half to prepare for the first match, Erasmus said managing the players effectively in the next few days was essential to get the best out of them on the field.