Rassie Springboks

Rassie Erasmus, director of rugby. Photo: YouTube screen shot

MUST-WATCH: Rassie opens up to Springboks about 2023 planning

Check out this special behind-the-scenes video as Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus chats to the players about the 2023 season.

Rassie Springboks

Rassie Erasmus, director of rugby. Photo: YouTube screen shot

In the latest episode of a fascinating ‘Inside the Boks’ video series, there is a closer look behind the scenes at the Springboks’ recently-concluded regeneration camp in Cape Town.

This video particularly showcases Rassie Erasmus as he discusses the team’s planning towards the defence of their Rugby World Cup 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 can be 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.

“We’ve been picking a World Cup 33 every time we get together, with only five or six players with a question mark,” Erasmus commented. “The only thing we haven’t done is moer each other, but everything else we’ve done.”

LIVE UPDATES: SPRINGBOKS’ ROAD TO THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

Watch the extraordinary 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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