The Springboks have chosen Toulon as their base for the early matches of their pool stages at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The defending champions will then move to Paris for their third pool match against Ireland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for this tournament that kicks off on September 8 and runs until October 28 2023.
The Boks, who are currently the top-ranked team in the World Rugby rankings, had a selection of three potential bases in the south of France.
After a thorough inspection of the options by Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and the team’s head of operations Charles Wessels at the conclusion of the Boks’ November tour to the UK in 2021, a decision was made to select the city on the Mediterranean coast as their preferred base.
The Springboks will launch their title defence against Scotland on September 10 at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille before lining up against Spain at Stade de Bordeaux on September 17.
They will then take on Ireland at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on September 23 and the top qualifier from the Asia/Pacific region in Marseille on October 1.
The Boks will use Toulon Rugby Club’s RCT campus as their main training field for the matches against Scotland, Spain and the qualifier from Asia/Pacific, with a few training sessions set to be hosted at the Stade Félix Mayol.
They will be based in Paris for the week in the build-up to their match against Ireland.
The Springboks will spend 28 days in Toulon setting up base at Grand Hotel Des Sablettes-Page which is a swift 24-minute journey from the RCT training base.
Pending their progress in the global spectacle, the Boks will switch their base to Paris for the remainder of the tournament, as two quarterfinals, the semifinals and final will be played at the nearby Stade de France.
“Toulon Rugby Club’s RCT campus hosts some of the best training and team facilities in the regions we visited, and we are delighted with our selection with Toulon as our base for three of the pool matches in the round-robin stages of the competition,” said Nienaber.
“The facility is excellent, housing a high-performance gym, and indoor synthetic pitch, outdoor pitch, fixed cameras to assist with our technical analysis, recovery facilities as well as a fully equipped kitchen and dining area.
“So, in a sense it is a one-stop shop providing everything we need to ensure that our training sessions are as efficient as possible. With 18 months to go before the Rugby World Cup kicks off, this announcement has certainly added to the excitement about the journey ahead.”
Nienaber added: “We trained in Paris for a week before our year-end tour last season, so we have a good idea of what to expect in the country’s capital for the week leading up to the Ireland pool match and the final stages of the competition depending on our progress in the Rugby World Cup.
“For now, however, our focus remains on the season ahead, and every match we play will be vital in our preparation for the Rugby World Cup. We are currently putting the building blocks in place to get the season off to a strong start, and we intend to make the most of each opportunity on the field as we look ahead to next year’s showpiece.”
The Springboks will kick off their 2022 season with three Tests against Wales in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town on consecutive Saturdays between July 2 and 16 during the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
SA will then host New Zealand in Nelspruit and Johannesburg on August 6 and 13 respectively and they also host Argentina in Durban on September 24 in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship home Tests.
The Boks will play two away Tests against Australia on August 27 and September 3 and one against Argentina in Buenos Aires on September 17.
Rugby World Cup 2023 Pools
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Africa 1
Pool B: SA, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Asia/Pacific 1 qualifier
Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Final qualifier winner
Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Americas 2
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Boks to set up base in Toulon for Rugby World Cup pool stages in France next year
Image: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
The Springboks have chosen Toulon as their base for the early matches of their pool stages at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The defending champions will then move to Paris for their third pool match against Ireland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for this tournament that kicks off on September 8 and runs until October 28 2023.
The Boks, who are currently the top-ranked team in the World Rugby rankings, had a selection of three potential bases in the south of France.
After a thorough inspection of the options by Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and the team’s head of operations Charles Wessels at the conclusion of the Boks’ November tour to the UK in 2021, a decision was made to select the city on the Mediterranean coast as their preferred base.
The Springboks will launch their title defence against Scotland on September 10 at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille before lining up against Spain at Stade de Bordeaux on September 17.
They will then take on Ireland at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on September 23 and the top qualifier from the Asia/Pacific region in Marseille on October 1.
The Boks will use Toulon Rugby Club’s RCT campus as their main training field for the matches against Scotland, Spain and the qualifier from Asia/Pacific, with a few training sessions set to be hosted at the Stade Félix Mayol.
They will be based in Paris for the week in the build-up to their match against Ireland.
The Springboks will spend 28 days in Toulon setting up base at Grand Hotel Des Sablettes-Page which is a swift 24-minute journey from the RCT training base.
Pending their progress in the global spectacle, the Boks will switch their base to Paris for the remainder of the tournament, as two quarterfinals, the semifinals and final will be played at the nearby Stade de France.
“Toulon Rugby Club’s RCT campus hosts some of the best training and team facilities in the regions we visited, and we are delighted with our selection with Toulon as our base for three of the pool matches in the round-robin stages of the competition,” said Nienaber.
“The facility is excellent, housing a high-performance gym, and indoor synthetic pitch, outdoor pitch, fixed cameras to assist with our technical analysis, recovery facilities as well as a fully equipped kitchen and dining area.
“So, in a sense it is a one-stop shop providing everything we need to ensure that our training sessions are as efficient as possible. With 18 months to go before the Rugby World Cup kicks off, this announcement has certainly added to the excitement about the journey ahead.”
Nienaber added: “We trained in Paris for a week before our year-end tour last season, so we have a good idea of what to expect in the country’s capital for the week leading up to the Ireland pool match and the final stages of the competition depending on our progress in the Rugby World Cup.
“For now, however, our focus remains on the season ahead, and every match we play will be vital in our preparation for the Rugby World Cup. We are currently putting the building blocks in place to get the season off to a strong start, and we intend to make the most of each opportunity on the field as we look ahead to next year’s showpiece.”
The Springboks will kick off their 2022 season with three Tests against Wales in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town on consecutive Saturdays between July 2 and 16 during the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
SA will then host New Zealand in Nelspruit and Johannesburg on August 6 and 13 respectively and they also host Argentina in Durban on September 24 in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship home Tests.
The Boks will play two away Tests against Australia on August 27 and September 3 and one against Argentina in Buenos Aires on September 17.
Rugby World Cup 2023 Pools
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Africa 1
Pool B: SA, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Asia/Pacific 1 qualifier
Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Final qualifier winner
Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Americas 2
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