Six coaches for SA A

2003-06-19 21:34

Herbert Pretorius

Cape Town - The Springbok coaching team is taking next Wednesday's match between South Africa A and Argentina A very seriously.

That much was evident on Thursday, when three practices were held in different parts of the country to hone the skills of the A team players.

SA A team coach Rudy Joubert and Ray Mordt (Both assistant Bok coaches) put players from the Cats and Bulls regions through their paces in Pretoria.

National coach Rudolf Straeuli and fitness trainer Kevin Stevenson led a similar practice session in Durban, while Gert Smal (assistant Bok coach) and Frank Ponissi (defence consultant to the Boks) worked with the players based in the Cape.

The A team will gather in Cape Town on Friday, two days earlier than originally scheduled. "We want the full group to practice on Saturday," says Joubert.

A number of Springbok candidates will be in action against Argentina A, and their performances at Wellington could have an influence on the selection of the Tri-Nations squad. These players include Robbie Fleck, Butch James, Thinus Delport, De Wet Barry and Hanyani Shimange.

Smal says Thursday's practice in Cape Town was aimed at, among other things, improving handling skills in contact situations and organising defensive lines.

The A team's defence proved vulnerable in last year's match against their Argentinian counterparts at Witbank, with the home team running out narrow 36-35 winners after having led 32-12 at one stage.

Joubert and his adjudant at the Bulls, Blikkies Groenewald, have been tasked with forging the A team into a closely-knit unit in only a few days, but Straeuli will also be involved in the team's preparations next week.

- Die Burger