In SA Rugby magazine’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry special edition, SA’s four URC coaches reveal how they’re preparing to face the All Blacks next month.
The return of a full-scale All Blacks tour to South Africa has the country’s URC coaches excited, even if it complicates preparations for the new season.
The tourists will face the Stormers (7 August), Sharks (11 August) and Bulls (15 August) before the first Test and the Lions (25 August) before the second Test.
For Bulls coach Johan Ackermann, it’s a dream fixture with a difficult balancing act.
“A tour like this is obviously massive from a player’s perspective and a coach,” he told SA Rugby magazine. “Every player wants to play against the All Blacks – especially in front of your own people.”
Ackermann, though, warned: “If we give players five weeks’ rest, we’ll only have one week to prepare them for the All Blacks game. Any player who will play will then be at high risk for injury.”
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Sharks coach JP Pietersen sees only opportunity.
“We will put our best available team together. Our focus remains on preparing properly for the URC season, but we will embrace the opportunity.”
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen is taking the same approach.
“It is in the middle of preparation for the URC, which obviously presents a bit of a challenge. But it’s such a big event and big occasion that you’ll do whatever you can to get your best team together.”
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Stormers director of rugby John Dobson admitted the timing of the All Blacks fixture wasn’t ideal, but said the team’s URC semi-final exit last season had given them an extra three weeks to rest and prepare.
“We can actually make it work,” he told SA Rugby magazine. “This is just too lekker. It’s something the players dream of …
“We’re going all in to make Cape Town proud and provide a lekker once-off rugby occasion.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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