The Boks have three Tests lined up next month, against Scotland, England, and Wales. They completed their first training block of the week on Wednesday afternoon – which comprised four training sessions over two days – and will have a rest day on Thursday before resuming their on-field preparations on Friday.
The squad will then travel from Jersey to Edinburgh on Sunday for their opening Test against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday 10 November, before moving on to London to face England on Saturday 16 November, before wrapping up the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday 23 November.
“We have two days of training under the belt, and from a coaching perspective it's been a good,” said Stick.
“Everything went smooth with the travel, while the people in Jesey and the hotel staff have been very welcoming and the training facilities are world-class, so it's been great so far.
“One can also sense the excitement among the players, and they're really putting the hard work at gym and at the field sessions.
“In terms of the training itself, we're fortunate to have this training camp because some of the players have been participating in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship while some of the Japanese players have been off, so the main goals for the week have been to ensure that we focus on how we want to play and build the intensity of our training sessions.”
Stick added: “It's been tough because we’ve had double training sessions in the last two days and we're really pushing the players. But this week has given us an opportunity to implement what we’d like to and introduce a few things, so by the time we reach Test week in a few days, we don't overload the players.”
Stick said the weather conditions in Jersey – from pouring rain to sunshine – have also been good for the team to acclimatise to the UK conditions.
“I don't think it (the conditions) will been difficult, especially if one considers that the majority of the players have played in the Vodacom URC here in the UK already,” said Stick.
“That said, the nice thing is that it was a little wet at our first training session, and the chances are good that we might have one or two wet games in the series, so fortunately the players will be well conditioned to handle that.”
Looking ahead at the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour, Stick expected a challenging series, but he said their focus at this stage was solely on the clash against Scotland.
“I think we'd be stupid to look too far ahead, so our main focus at the moment is on Scotland,” said Stick.
“If you look at the Six Nations competition earlier this year, Scotland put in some great performances. They won against England and Wales, and it was close until late in the game against Ireland, so they’re a tough team to beat.
“They’ll also have a good crowd behind them, and they have quality players, so if we allow them to perform, they can punish us.
“They’re in a good space as a team, and there’s consistency in their coaching staff, so it's going to be a tough match.”
