Bok coach Rassie Erasmus’ Castle Lager Rugby Championship squad assembled in Johannesburg on Sunday for a short camp before their departure to Australia.
Nortje was the only new player in the Rugby Championship squad, meaning this is the first time he is working with the coaching team led by Erasmus, and which includes Tony Brown (backline coach) and Jerry Flannery (defence coach).
“It has always been a dream to play for the Springboks and after getting the chance to make my debut in 2022, I’ve been working hard to try to make my way back into the squad,” said Nortje.
“I played with quite a few of the guys in 2022 and being able to play and train with them again is an absolute honour and privilege.
“Obviously the systems have changed quite a lot since the last time I was part of the team, but that excites me even more because I love learning new things and I’ve been enjoying the new aspects of the game the coaches have introduced to the set-up.”
Ruan Nortje at Springbok training on Monday.
Nortje added: “It will take time to familiarise myself with the new way of doing things, but the coaches and players have been very helpful and have taken me under their wing, so I’m certain it will be an easy transition back into the squad.
“Although it is only day one, I am excited about this adventure and getting another chance in the Bok squad.”
Erasmus said the focus at the Johannesburg camp was to get the players back into the swing of things after many of them had a well-deserved 10-day break after being released from camp before the Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein, and he stressed the importance of setting the tone for what he anticipates will be a vastly different challenge in the southern hemisphere spectacle.
“The vibe in the camp is fantastic and one can sense the enthusiasm among the players, so the break was beneficial for both the players and coaches,” said Erasmus.
“We worked out our programme in such a way that we could fit in a few gym and training sessions on Monday and Tuesday before we travel on Wednesday, and our intention is to acclimatise as quickly as possible down under to ensure that we are as prepared as possible by the time we slot back into full Test-match mode next week before our opening game of the competition in Brisbane next week Saturday.”
The Springboks will face Australia in Brisbane and Perth on 10 and 17 August respectively, before returning to South Africa to play back-to-back matches against New Zealand on Saturday, 31 August in Johannesburg, and 7 September in Cape Town. They will then take a short trip to Argentina to face Los Pumas in Santiago on Saturday, 21 September, before wrapping up the tournament in Nelspruit against Argentina on Saturday, 28 September.
