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Bok conditioning to be tested in Cardiff

Cape Town - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has been vocal on his side's improved conditioning this year, and that will be tested in Saturday's clash against Wales in Cardiff. 

It has been a long season for many of these Boks, with many of them having played right through from the beginning of Super Rugby in February. 

With this weekend not an official World Rugby international window, the Boks will be without Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw and Franco Mostert as those players return to their clubs, but the rest of the Boks must find the muscle to get through one more week. 

For team doctor Konrad von Hagen, there are no concerns. 

"We have adapted a few different things this year in the way we train and the way we recover. All of it has played its part. We're trying to train as we're going to play and the players have adapted," he told media in Cardiff on Monday.

"I don't think that there is any concern over it being the last game of our season that we are less fit than we were at the start of the season.

"I actually think a lot of them have improved."

According to Von Hagen, the Boks are one of the fittest teams in international rugby.

"We put a lot of effort making sure that the guys don't get less fit as we go on just because they play more rugby," he said.

"We still do a lot of fitness and I think we're one of the teams that gyms the most just to keep up where we are."

On the injury front, the Boks welcome back hooker Malcolm Marx while prop Tendai Mtawarira is a doubt. 

Kick-off on Saturday is at 16:30 (SA time). 

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