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Springboks to travel to Australia on Thursday for the remainder of the Rugby Championship

Mahlatse Mphahlele Sports reporter
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is expecting a tough Rugby Championship tour to Australia.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is expecting a tough Rugby Championship tour to Australia.
Image: David Rogers/Getty Images

The Springboks will leave for Australia on Thursday afternoon to play their rescheduled four Rugby Championship matches in Queensland.

Sanzaar announced on Tuesday that Queensland will host eight Rugby Championship Tests in double-headers over four weekends from September in a rejigged schedule following new Covid-19 restrictions across the country and in New Zealand.

The Springboks kick off the away leg of their campaign against Australia on September 12 at the CBUS Super Stadium and will move to Brisbane the following weekend to take on the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium.

These fixtures will be followed by back-to-back clashes against New Zealand on  September 25 at QLD Country Bank Stadium and another clash against the All Blacks the following weekend at the CBUS Super Stadium.

The matches were initially scheduled to be hosted in Sydney, Brisbane, Dunedin and Auckland but the schedule was changed due to the tightening of regulations placed on travel and quarantine by states in Australia and New Zealand due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

“We are pleased the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match schedule has been finalised and we are looking forward to continuing our campaign in Australia,” said Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber.

“We can continue our planning to ensure the players are ready for the next four matches from a physical and mental point of view, and we are excited about facing our old foes Australia and New Zealand again after kicking off the tournament well against Argentina.”

The Springboks and the Pumas will travel to Australia together on Thursday and will be placed in quarantine for two weeks before taking to the field, They will then operate normally in Australia with no restrictions being placed on their movements.

Despite being in quarantine, the Boks will be allowed to train as they have been in SA  since the start of the Lions Series.

“The two-week quarantine period means we will be on tour for just under six weeks, but we are looking forward to experiencing normal life after a year-and-a-half of living under several forms of adjusted Covid-19 restrictions in SA,” said Nienaber.

“This will certainly assist in ensuring the players are fresh mentally when they take to the field, which is essential for them to peak in form.”

Nienaber gave the players time off on Monday and Tuesday to rest and recover from the physically and mentally taxing schedule in the past two months when they played against Georgia, the British & Irish Lions and Argentina.