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VIDEO: England training tactics caught Bok coach off guard

Rassie Erasmus on the alttitude for opponents & who to play at hooker

WATCH as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus speak about England’s unusual tactic of training at sea level for an altitude Test.

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England coach Eddie Jones, never scared to engage in a bit of pre-match gamesmanship, decided to base his team in Durban ahead of the three-Test series against South Africa.

Jones is trying to negate the problem by flying his England players to Johannesburg (1750 metres), Bloemfontein (1400 metres) and Cape Town a day ahead of each Test and then return to their Durban coastal base.

England has not won a Test in South Africa since the two teams clashed in the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in 2000.

The Bok coach, Erasmus, pointed out they had to make a similar decision last week, before the Wales Test.

The Boks opted for three days’ training in Johannesburg, with the entire 43-man squad, and the 26 players who flew to America to face Wales, only departed on Wednesday night.

Erasmus admitted it contributed to a lethargic first-half performance.

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He said England have their own plans to negate the altitude factor, but it is not what he would have done.

“I am surprised that they [England] – who have the benefit of staying here [Johannesburg] for a week – stayed in Umhlanga [just north of Durban on the Natal coast],” Erasmus said.

“The [Bok] players who stayed behind [ahead of last week’s trip to Argentina] would have trained here [Johannesburg] for two weeks.

“It will be interesting. Maybe they [England] have other plans on how they will handle the altitude.

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“Normally it catches up with you if you don’t stay at altitude.

“It is interesting for me, but they might have a plan.”

@rugby365com

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