Back on a plane, straight into another Test
Baltimore one weekend. Australia the next. The Springboks have barely stopped moving.
Rassie Erasmus took his squad from the east coast of the United States to Australia on a connecting flight through Dallas, and the entire travelling party from Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry came with him. Nobody was released early. The world champions face the Wallabies in a one-off Test next weekend, and the head coach has one instruction for the last week of a long trip.
“We will continue to do everything we can next week to make our country proud and finish the tour well,” Erasmus said.
South Africa arrive as the number one side in the World Rugby rankings, having taken the series against the All Blacks 3-1. A record like that usually settles the favourite tag before anyone kicks a ball. Erasmus is not treating it that way.
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A Wallabies side with momentum of its own
Australia won their own series against Argentina earlier this month, and they play this one at home. That combination has Erasmus talking about a different kind of afternoon.
“Both Argentina and the All Blacks tested us thoroughly, and we have no doubt that we will be facing a determined Wallabies side that will want to put on a good show in front of their home crowd, and they will present a completely different challenge to that which we have faced in the last few Test matches,” he said.
“The Wallabies have been playing well, and we have no doubt they will come out firing in this match, which will require another full 80-minute performance from us to get the desired result next weekend.”
Eighty minutes. That is the phrase that carries weight for a squad this deep into a tour.
The part of the tour nobody watches
Erasmus spent a chunk of his briefing talking about travel, which tells you where the worry sits. The players took Sunday off in Baltimore before the flight. Andy Edwards, the team’s head of athletic performance, and the logistics staff have been building the back end of this trip for months.
“They deserve a lot of credit for the smooth travel and the way they ensured that we make everything as simple as possible for the players to perform well,” Erasmus said.
Training starts on Friday. A handful of sessions, then a Test match on the far side of the world from where the last one finished.
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