Cape Town - Under-fire Springbok coach Allister Coetzee was very positive about the outcome of a conditioning indaba held in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The indaba, aimed at establishing a unified performance-enhancement strategy among the different unions, was attended by Coetzee, Bok strength and conditioning coach Warren Adams, senior members of SA Rugby and the conditioning coaches of the six Super Rugby franchises.
Questions have been raised over the fitness and conditioning of the Boks over the past few years. There have been a number of Tests, particularly against the All Blacks, where they have faded badly in the second half or last 20 minutes.
Stephan du Toit (Stormers), Johan Pretorius (Sharks), Quintin Kruger (Cheetahs), Ivan van Rooyen (Lions), Nadus Nieuwoudt (Southern Kings) and Henri-Charl Terblanche (Bulls) were the conditioning coaches in attendance at Saru’s headquarters in Plattekloof.
The members of the workshop, facilitated by the head of high performance at Maties Sport, Sean Surmon, agreed to establish physical preparation standards of players, the continuous monitoring of players, and also the management of player training workloads in order successfully monitor the conditioning of players based in South Africa.
The conditioning gathering came after a national coaching indaba held in October, which aimed to plot a new direction for South African rugby.
“I am very excited about the expertise that was evident from everyone that attended the workshop,” Coetzee said.
“We will now present the very positive outcomes of the workshop at next week’s coaches’ indaba.
“The conditioning workshop followed on a meeting between SA Rugby and the doctors of the Super Rugby franchise teams, held last week, where they discussed injury prevention, management and player welfare
strategies.”
Adams will now table the outcomes of the conditioning workshop for discussion at the next coaching indaba, which takes place on Monday, December 12, in Cape Town.