SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus making peace with World Rugby Springboks. Photo: SA Rugby website.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Photo: SA Rugby website.

VIDEO: Rassie Erasmus makes bold claim about Springboks

Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus believes the Springboks are at least 70% better prepared to defend their Rugby World Cup title.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus making peace with World Rugby Springboks. Photo: SA Rugby website.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Photo: SA Rugby website.

The Springboks will kick off a bumper 2023 season against Australia in Pretoria on Saturday, 8 July, in the opening round of the shortened Rugby Championship. This will be followed by clashes against New Zealand in Auckland a week later, and Argentina in Johannesburg on 29 July.

That clash against the Pumas will be their final match on home soil before the build-up to their Rugby World Cup defence starts. They will then travel to Buenos Aires in August to take on the Pumas before facing Wales and the All Blacks in Rugby World Cup warm-up matches in Cardiff and London, in the final build-up to the extravaganza in France.

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South Africa will then kick off their Rugby World Cup title defence on Sunday, 10 September, against Scotland in Marseille. This will be followed by pool matches against Romania in Bordeaux (17 September), Ireland in Paris (23 September) and Tonga in Marseille (1 October).

By all accounts, this World Cup is set to be the most competitive in history, with no clear favourite to talk of, while a host of teams are capable of beating any other side on their day.

In the latest episode of a fascinating ‘Inside the Boks’ series, there is a closer look behind the scenes at the Springboks’ planning for the World Cup, with the video particularly showcasing Rassie Erasmus as he discusses the team’s readiness to defend their title this year.

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In the video, Erasmus describes how planning for the 2023 World Cup in fact began in 2018, stating that the victory in 2019 was actually a “bonus”.

The director of rugby discusses how well-placed the team is to become the “best side in history” by winning a fourth World Cup title overall, and a second in succession.

He also reiterates that the World Cup coaching staff remain fully aligned, and are already virtually certain of what the squad will most likely look like.

Furthermore, in one portion that you can see below, Erasmus tells the players that he is convinced that in 2023, the team is 70% better organised and prepared to successfully head into the World Cup.

LIVE UPDATES: SPRINGBOKS’ ROAD TO THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

“I’ve never been part of a team that has evolved so much, and that go into this year (so well prepared),” Erasmus commented before sharing a golf metaphor about the squad lying squarely on the fairway, with the World Cup lying dead ahead on the green.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT THE SPRINGBOKS BELOW:

FIXTURES IN 2023

Rugby Championship

8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

✈ 15 July: South Africa vs New Zealand (Mount Smart, Auckland)

29 July: Springboks vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

World Cup warm-ups

✈ 5 August: South Africa vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)

✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

✈ 25 August: Springbok vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)

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RUGBY WORLD CUP:

✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille) 

✈ 17 September: Springbok vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux) 

✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris) 

✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)

ALSO READ | INSIDE ACCESS TO THE SPRINGBOKS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Quarter-finals sequence of play is as follows:QF 1 — Winner Pool C vs Runner up Pool D
QF 2 — Winner Pool B vs Runner up Pool A
QF 3 — Winner Pool D vs Runner up Pool C
QF 4 — Winner Pool A vs Runner up Pool B

ALSO READ: D-Day for Springbok World Cup squad announcement revealed

Semi-finals sequence of play is as follows:
SF 1 — Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF 2 — Winner QF3 v Winner QF4

Third place playoff:
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2

World Cup final:
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2

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