The Springboks kicked off their Rugby Championship tour of Australia on the back foot over the weekend, with a change to their flight plan meaning they only departed Down Under on Friday and not Thursday as originally planned.
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) on Friday sent out a press statement saying: “The Springboks were forced to delay their departure to Australia for the away leg of the Rugby Championship to Friday at midday following the unforeseen cancellation of their flight to Sydney on Thursday evening.
“The travelling squad of 34 players assembled in Johannesburg early on Thursday afternoon and were set to fly to Adelaide via Sydney later that evening, but their plans were disrupted due to complications relating to the flight crew.”
Coach Jacques Nienaber’s manne regrouped and made some alterations to their preparation for Saturday’s first Test at the Adelaide Oval.
After eventually leaving SA at 12pm on Friday, the Bokke arrived in Australia on Saturday and then travelled to Adelaide where they got a warm welcome from South Africans currently in Australia.
👍 The Springboks have touched down in Australia and received a warm welcome in Adelaide - more here: https://t.co/sbRy5k7yLy#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/mdhfD1cP5j
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 20, 2022
Coach Nienaber says: “The players rested well on the plane, and everyone is excited to be in Australia are looking forward to our two Tests against the Wallabies.
“I must commend our operational staff for the swift manner in which they dealt with the cancellation of our original flight and for making things as simple as possible for the team to hop onto the next available flight.
✈️ Boks' departure to Australia delayed due to cancelled flight - more here: https://t.co/GOF9zPtLXh#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/CkEt1Eg6Na
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 19, 2022
“The professional manner in which the situation was dealt with resulted in minimal disruption to our programme, which is certainly pleasing from a coaching perspective.”
The Springboks will look to bounce back after losing their last match in the tournament 35-23 to the All Blacks.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za