Meyer gets Boks ready for tussles with English

SOUTH Africa named a 31-man squad yesterday for a training camp involving Cheetahs and Lions players as new Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer begins preparations for England’s tour of the country in June.

Meyer has to juggle the demands of the Super Rugby season with trying to be ready for his first Test as coach since being appointed in January.

The first of three “planning sessions” will take place from 16 to 19 April in Pretoria.

The second camp from 23 to 26 will feature players from the Bulls and the Sharks while the third camp will take place in Cape Town with Stormers players from 1-3 May.

“I’ve been mindful of the fact that we won’t have a lot of time to prepare for England, but these sessions will greatly assist in getting the players ready for when we get together a week before the first Test,” Meyer said.

“We’ve planned these camps in accordance with their bye weekends during Super Rugby and I’ve given the franchises the assurance that there won’t be any intense field training during our sessions – it will be mostly theoretical planning sessions as well as walk through sessions of our planned plays.”

Training squad:

Forwards: Coenie Oosthuizen, Caylib Oosthuizen, Pat Cilliers, CJ van der Linde, WP Nel, Adriaan Strauss, Bandise Maku, Callie Visagie, Izak van der Westhuizen, Davon Raubenheimer, Franco van der Merwe, Heinrich Brussow, Derick Minnie, Pieter Labuschagne, Ashley Johnson, Juan Smith, Josh Strauss, Philip van der Walt

Backs: Piet van Zyl, Michael Bondesio, Johan Goosen, Elton Jantjies, Butch James, Willie le Roux, Andries Strauss, Doppies La Grange, Robert Ebersohn, Alwyn Hollenbach, Lionel Mapoe, Jaco Taute, Hennie Daniller.