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The rugby world champion Springboks will be attending Jersey for a week-long training camp next month to prepare for their autumn international matches, it has been confirmed.
The entire South African national rugby union men's squad and current World Champions will be on the island from Monday 28 October to Sunday 3 November for a training camp and events programme.
Facilitated by Visit Jersey, planned activities during the week will see the team engage with the local community, inspire future players, and utilise the island’s state-of-the-art sports facilities at Strive.
The training camp comes as the back-to-back Champions prepare for the upcoming Autumn Internationals.
Islanders will be able to watch the Springboks train during an open session at 10:30 at Jersey Rugby Club on Saturday 2 November.
Pictured: The Springboks will be in Jersey from 28 October until 3 November.
The Springboks and Jersey Rugby Club will also be hosting a three-day youth training camp at the JRC from Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 October from 09:00 to 12:30. Led by their professional coaches, the camp will be open to children aged nine to 12 years and is hoped to inspire future sporting stars.
Islanders will also be given the unique opportunity to meet and dine with the players and their coaches during an 'Evening With the Springboks' charity gala dinner at the Royal Jersey Showground on 2 November, which will be raising funds for the Jersey Sporting Association for the Disabled (JSAD) and hosted by former international players and current rugby pundits Jim Hamilton and Andy Goode.
As well as exploring the island, the Springboks visit to Jersey will promote it as a sporting-tourism destination, organisers have said.
Pictured: The World Champs' visit is hoped to boost Jersey's sporting-tourism.
Head Coach Rassie Erasmus at South Africa Rugby said: “We are all incredibly excited about heading to Jersey this autumn.
"With many of our players based in the UK and France, the chance to come together as a national team and prepare for the Autumn Internationals in such an excellent environment was an easy decision. Jersey provides a top-tier training facility at Strive, while also offering the perfect setting for our Springboks to strengthen team bonds and engage with rugby fans in the local community.”
It's not the first time Jersey has hosted a world-class rugby team – the British and Irish Lions spent 13 days on the island in 2021, while England Rugby used Jersey for a training camp last year before their autumn international matches.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said he was looking forward to the visit.
“I hope that the Springboks’ will both inspire islanders to get involved in sport, and will also boost our visitor economy by putting Jersey on the map as a place which world-class squads can use as a base for training," he said.
Ben Harvey, Managing Director at Strive, welcomed the endorsement for the performance centre.
“Strive is delighted to have secured the visit of South Africa, the current and back to back World Champions," he said. "The Springboks represent more than just rugby and it is not only huge for Strive, and another wonderful endorsement of our facilities and staff, but also for the island as a whole.”
More information about each of the Springboks' events can be found via the links below:
For the open training session on Saturday 2 November click HERE.
To find out more about the youth training camp follow Jersey Rugby Club's Facebook page for updates.
To purchase tickets for the "Evening With the Springboks" Gala Dinner click HERE.
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