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Cape Town - Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan insists they are well prepared ahead of their three-Test series against France.
It was a torrid 2016 for the Springboks, who managed only four wins from 12 Tests.
But Van Graan is adamant 2017 will bring about an improvement.
“The past is in the past. What we do in the present will determine our future,” Van Graan said at a press conference in Pretoria on Tuesday, as the Boks prepared for Saturday’s first Test there at Loftus Versfeld.
Van Graan works mainly with the forwards and is happy with what he’s got at his disposal.
“The brilliant thing about the forwards is all of the forwards in this camp have been at the Springboks before, whether at Test match level or at camps. So that continuity helps quite a bit,” the assistant coach said.
Van Graan is also happy with the team's preparation.
READ what Jake White thinks of the Springboks' preparation
“We’ve changed one or two things, we’ve done a lot of research and future planning, looking ahead to the next few years up to the World Cup," Van Graan continued.
“But the most important thing is Saturday. I’m very pleased, there were some fantastic performances individually in Super Rugby. And some Super Rugby teams as a collective have played some fantastic rugby.
“We had a very nice unit session this morning, we’re very happy with where we are our scrum, lineout and maul time... but Saturday afternoon is what counts."
