Springboks wary but confident as they prepare to face battle-hardened Wallabies

The Boks are gearing up for a testing Rugby Championship campaign which kicks off against Australia in Johannesburg 16 August, and Erasmus stressed the importance of ensuring that the coaches, players, and entire management team were aligned and prepared for the competition.

"Australia showed last weekend that they have what it takes to win a match against a team like the British & Irish Lions, and they have an opportunity to try to achieve that this weekend, so we are expecting tough battles against them, as well as New Zealand and Argentina.

"We have eight weeks of proper preparation before we take the field in the Rugby Championship, and we are pleased with the physicality that Italy and Georgia brought against us in the last few weeks.

"We always knew that our first few matches would not be as tough as the Rugby Championship, even though the opposition was competitive and physical, but we are now going up against teams with solid game plans and a different intensity.

"Australia would have also come off the British & Irish Lions Series by the time we face them, so it will be a challenging tournament. We can't underestimate them."

Erasmus faced some criticism recently for pushing the envelope in terms of innovation and tactics, but vowed he would continue to try new things on and off the field.

"You've got to keep innovating. We've got one or two more plans and ideas up our sleeves. Opposition teams now know what we're about and are developing systems to counter us," he said.

Erasmus said the Boks' current two-week training camp in Johannesburg was not originally part of their schedule but would benefit the team on several fronts.

"It will give us time to align as coaches, as well as on the conditioning aspects for the players and to take stock from a medical perspective, so it's important in assisting us to get to where we want to be against three good countries in the series."

Responding to questions about including three Junior Springboks - Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead - in the squad for the conditioning camp, Erasmus said: "The coaches will be involved in the team until 2027, so it's important for us to continue developing our depth and ensuring that we have at least three players to pick from in each position.

"We don't see the young guns playing Test matches this year, but exposing them to this environment and allowing them to participate in all our boardroom and field sessions is great for them to learn.

"They've fitted in well and they appear to be enjoying it, while it's also good for the more experienced players to see the talent that is coming through the ranks."

The Springboks will wrap up the first week of their training camp on Thursday afternoon and spend the weekend with their families, before reassembling in Johannesburg on Sunday to continue their on-field preparations.