Boks to face Georgie in Lions curtain-raisers
Before the iconic British and Irish Lions arrive in South
Africa for their much-anticipated tour, the Springboks will fine-tune their skills
against Georgia in a two-test series starting over the first weekend of July.
It will be a first outing as head coach for Jacques Nienaber following over eighteen months without action for the South African national men’s rugby side.
With these build-up test matches being confirmed and the Lions announcing their squad for the tour last week, the international rugby season is fast approaching which is giving Nienaber a sense of anticipation as he begins his tenure as Bok head coach.
“The confirmation of the Georgian Tests, and the announcement of the British & Irish Lions squad last week have caused a lot of excitement and I am sure it will lift the spirit of the players – we can now accelerate our preparations for our return to Test rugby,” said Nienaber.
Springbok Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus doesn’t see the outings against Georgia as a watered-down build-up because international rugby is going to provide a serious test for players no matter which country you play.
“Nothing beats a full-blooded international to test your skill set, readiness and ability under pressure, and we are delighted to have this opportunity before the Lions series,” said Erasmus to the Springbok website.
“Jacques (Nienaber), his coaching staff and management have been working around the clock to get the team as well prepared as possible, and the Georgia series is a much-needed opportunity after such a long and unforeseen interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The national players will continue to prepare through the local Rainbow Cup SA, as well as through the various competitions that they are a part of in Europe and Japan.
The Lions arrive in South Africa for their first match against the Stormers on 3 July.
They will face the Cell C Sharks on 10 July and the first test match is scheduled for 24 July.
