Rugby
Boks receive hero’s welcome in Jersey─── MORGAN PIEK 07:50 Tue, 29 Oct 2024
The Springboks hit the ground running in Jersey after arriving on the English Channel Island on Monday ahead of their end-of-year tour.
The Springboks departed for the tour on Sunday and got together for the first time on Monday as a squad to prepare for the important series.
The back-to-back World Champions received a hero’s welcome at Jersey Airport upon their arrival late on Monday afternoon as the locals gathered for an unexpected welcome. It’s not the first time the Boks have done this. Ahead of last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, they set up camp on the French Island of Corsica.
The arrival in Jersey also coincided with the first anniversary of the Boks beating the All Blacks 12-11 in the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy for a record fourth time.
The Springboks will face Scotland, England, and Wales in the coming weeks for their last Tests for the season.
The Springbok Head of Athletic Performance, Andy Edwards, explained why they decided to conduct their camp in Jersey because it’s close to the mainland, limiting the travel. At the same time, it also has everything they need to prepare and bond as a collective.
Just touched down in Jersey… locals pretty excited to greet my fellow passengers. pic.twitter.com/erD1eTO8aX
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) October 28, 2024
“Jersey had everything we needed and it’s obviously close to the UK, which for us is heading to Scotland, so that’s a nice thing,” said Edwards.
“We don’t have to really have any concern about long-haul travel going into the start of the Scotland Test week, so that’s a big plus.
“It’s a small island, it’s a nice opportunity for us to experience something a little bit different, and I don’t think anyone in this group has actually been to Jersey before, so that’s quite nice. And in terms of facilities, it’s only a few years old, so for us it fits everything we need to do. Awesome gym, good fields, close to the hotel.
A brand new first stop on the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour ?#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/y2jO78eohS
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 28, 2024
“I mean this hotel that’s right out into the sea, so we can push hard when we need to in terms of rugby intensity and make sure we can also get the balance of downtime and spending just a bit of social time together before we get stuck into the series.”
The Springboks will depart for Edinburgh at the end of the week ahead of next week’s Test against Scotland at the iconic Murrayfield.
OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg/mvh