Pat Lambie
Cell C Sharks flyhalf Pat Lambie feels that SARU’s initiative to rest Springboks during the Super Rugby campaign will benefit both the national team and the bigger franchises.
SARU announced Monday that they would manage the game time of a number of key Springboks throughout the Super Rugby series following an agreement between the national board and the franchises.
It stated that players’ game time will be handled on an individual basis depending on their work load in the last year as well as injuries, in an effort to ensure the Springboks are managed as well as possible in the build-up to the World Cup in September and October.
Although not focusing on the World Cup directly, Lambie feels that enforced rest and subsequent squad rotation will benefit a bigger union such as the Sharks.
“It is important to keep the World Cup in the back of your mind,” the flyhalf said,
“You need to take it one week at a time and not get too far ahead of yourself.
“Our focus is on the Cheetahs and the Cheetahs alone and then next week we will look towards the next opposition.”
However, Lambie and his team are well aware that they will be rotated due to SARU’s initiative, but in accordance to what is best for the team at the time.
“Player are going to be rotated in and out of the squad with this being a World Cup year,” Lambie added.
“The nature of the competition calls for it.
“It is all non-stop, we do not have a break in June any more, week in and week out there are no easy games, it is very physical and very fast.
“It is going to be a squad that wins this competition – not a team of 15 players.
Lambie, as a contracted Springbok player, has been approached by SARU about their game time management initiative and is aware as to how it will affect the Sharks Super Rugby campaign.
The flyhalf explains that SARU have set out what they want to achieve by resting players, but ultimately it falls to the coaches to implement the strategy in a way that best suits their franchise.
“SARU has spoken to all the contracted Springboks here at the Sharks and at the other unions,” Lambie continued.
“The players are aware that they are going to be rotated and will get a week, two weeks, even three weeks competition rest with the bye weekends.
“SARU have also spoken to each of the unions and given them the prerogative to decide when they will rest the Springbok players.
“We do know that it is coming, but we do not know exactly when yet.
“I guess it is up to every union and coach to decide depending on how the squad is doing, who the opposition is and how the team is performing.”
The Sharks open their campaign with a South African derby against the Cheetahs in Durban on Saturday and will be looking to utilise all of their Springboks in this early stage of the tournament.
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