JJ Harmse

Johannesburg – The Springboks are not fat, unfit and slow. And the team’s captain, John Smit, does not weigh more than in previous years.

Smit and the rest of the team are playing with 16% more intensity than was the case when the season kicked off against Wales a little over two months ago.

That was the reaction on Monday from Bok conditioning coach Neels Liebel to recent criticism about the team’s fitness levels and conditioning. He said there was a plan in place to ensure that senior Boks still have enough gas in the tank when next year’s World Cup is played in New Zealand.

“The players are monitored on a daily basis. We acquired new conditioning equipment this year that works with satellite navigation and it shows us exactly how much players run and when they need to be rested. It is being done scientifically and it’s not a matter of guessing. We have a plan and are sticking to it,” Liebel said in a swipe at critics such as sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes.

Liebel said that certain Boks were close to the maximum number of minutes that they should play per season.

“We try to not let players play more than 1600-1800 minutes per season. Some of the guys had already played as much as 1200 minutes by the time they joined up with the Springboks because we had two teams in the Super14 final,” he said.

“That means we should let them rest when we can. You can see that some players are on the sideline. That is when the statistics show that they require rest.”

Liebel admits that the new laws at the breakdown have required the conditioning team to adapt.

“The ball is definitely in play more this year, which means that the guys have to run more. We found that the team now runs 16% more than when the season started against Wales.”

This also backs up the view of Springbok coach Peter de Villiers that rugby in the Northern Hemisphere is played at a slower pace.

“It is not said with the intention of insulting anyone. Things like weather conditions forces them to play a more forward-oriented game with a lot of action at the breakdowns and rucks. We had to put in additional work with the guys that joined us from overseas clubs.”

Liebel made it clear that there is no problem with Smit’s conditioning or fitness.

“I’m very satisfied with him. There is no problem with his fitness or body fat. He is someone who is playing with 12% more intensity than was the case against Wales. It shows that our programme is working,” he said.

He also believes that someone like Ricky Januarie is now ready for Test rugby – a startling admission that he was not fit enough for the first six Tests of the season.

“We worked well with him for the past few weeks and I think he’s ready for that level now,” said Liebel.

The irony is that Francois Hougaard has been earmarked to play scrumhalf in the next three Tests and that Januarie may spend a lot of time on the substitutes bench again like he did in the Super 14.

Meanwhile, Zane Kirchner will not be considered for Saturday’s Test because of an injury to his left knee. Danie Rossouw (hip) and Dewald Potgieter (neck) also received treatment for their respective injuries on Monday.