There is a buzz in the air in Port Elizabeth where the Springboks will play Australia in their Rugby Championship clash on Saturday.
Fresh off their epic win over the All Blacks, the Springboks are bullish about their chances against Australia.
“The people of the Eastern Cape really love their rugby and they’ve given us unbelievable support whenever the team has played here. There’s a real buzz in the place already,” said Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, who is a former coaching staff member of the PE-based Southern Kings.
Most of the players arrived in Port Elizabeth last week already and some people have been lucky bumping into a Bok here and there.
pic: Andre Clarke from PE, bumping into Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert at a gym in Port Elizabeth.
Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test is the penultimate match of this year’s competition and the Springboks will complete their fixtures next week when they face the All Blacks at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Boks are unbeaten in Test matches at the Nelson Mandela Bay winning four of their five Tests at the stadium.
Meanwhile, the Springbok squad was bolstered on Sunday by the arrival of a number of players who played in the weekend’s Currie Cup and other provincial matches.
Uncapped Ruhan Nel, the former Blitzboks star who is playing in the colours of Western Province, was among the second group of players to arrive in the eastern coastal city.
When asked about the addition of Nel to the squad, Stick, himself a former Springbok Sevens captain, couldn’t hide his excitement.
“We’ve seen what Ruhan offered in the (DHL) Western Province team, and we have identified real potential. So we want to afford him an opportunity, especially as we continue to build towards the Rugby World Cup next year. There is fresh energy in our squad, and I think Ruhan will add to that,” said Stick.
SA coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his match-23 on Thursday. - African News Agency (ANA)
pic: SARU
