Springboks’ rugby healthiest it’s ever been: De Jager

The incredible depth Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has to his disposal has been the talk of the town in recent weeks and it’s continuously a top of discussion among critics. Injured Springbok lock Lood de Jager believes that Springbok rugby is the healthiest that it has ever been.

The World Cup champions will start the home leg of their Rugby Championship campaign with back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks, starting in Johannesburg next Saturday.

The Springboks made an emphatic start to their Rugby Championship campaign. They recorded comprehensive back-to-back victories over Australia in their own backyard and have established themselves as the overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title they last won in 2019.

For De Jager, who’s still nursing a shoulder injury, all the hard yards put in by the players and team management has left South African rugby in a very healthy place.

“Going over with a relatively, giving everybody a chance, I think RG is the only guy who didn’t play and still to beat Australia comfortably away from home while bringing in youngsters with experience. But what this also brings is that competitiveness in the group and that just makes us just so much stronger. I honestly think I’m really excited for the future of SA rugby and what the boys are doing at the moment is really special,” says de Jager.

Arguably the biggest rivalry in world rugby will resume next week when South Africa play New Zealand at the iconic Ellis Park. The last time these two giants met was in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris where the Boks won by a single point.

Looking ahead to next Saturday’s clash, double World Cup winner, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk who is also sadly watching from the sidelines, naturally backs the South Africans to win.

“It’s good to watch from the outside, I mean is not good I would rather be there but it’s nice to watch from the outside and see stuff we have been working on coming through. I really believe in this side that we got and the guys that has been in the group out and back in it doesn’t really matter, the guys are filling in seamlessly and they are willing to work their butts off, so I think it’s going to be unbelievably physical and a great game to watch. I definitely back them to win.”

After two rounds of the Rugby Championship, the Springboks are top of the log with 10 points, followed by the All Blacks with five.