Springboks Tendai Mtawarira and Warren Whiteley during the second Castle Lager Incoming Series Test match between South Africa and Ireland at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg last year. Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The new Springbok rugby squad will be in Plettenberg Bay next week for a training camp to prepare the team for the upcoming Castle Larger Incoming Series of three tests against France.
The team-members under the new leadership of Warren Whitley – the 58th Springbok captain – will be limbering up in this coastal haven for a week to prepare for the tests against the French on June 10 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, June 17 at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban and June 24 at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
The Springboks and other international teams are no strangers to Plettenberg Bay, which has hosted training camps for our national squad in 1999, 2000 and 2001 as well as the All Blacks in 1996 and the Italia national XV in 1997.
“The community has made them feel at home in the past and we’ll do so again,” said Chris Ferreira of Bitou Rugby after the announcement earlier this week.
The 31-man squad of 18 forwards and 13 backs, led by Emirates Lions No 8 Whitley (succeeding Adriaan Strauss who retired from test rugby last season) was announced by SA Rugby president Mark Alexander at the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg on May 23.
The players meet next Monday, May 29 for the camp in Plettenberg Bay before final first-test preparations in Pretoria.
