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Cape Town - The Springboks will again opt to pick 'A' and 'B' teams during next year's Rugby Championship.
This was revealed by the team's assistant coach, Matt Proudfoot, who was speaking at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport's annual coaching seminar last week.
"The Rugby Championship is our bread and butter. The problem is that we start at home and away against Argentina, then play away against Australia and New Zealand. The format does not change," Proudfoot said, as quoted by Rapport.
The forwards guru added: "So by the time we reach the Test against New Zealand, the Championship may have been lost even before we have played our two major home games.
"We are going to prepare two groups. The team playing against Argentina in Argentina is likely to play against Australia. The squad playing against Argentina at home will play against New Zealand."
In 2019's shortened Rugby Championship which was won by South Africa, the Boks played their so-called 'B team' against Australia and won 35-17 at Ellis Park.
The first-choice team flew out to New Zealand earlier and drew 16-all with the All Blacks in Wellington, before they secured the title with a 46-13 annihilation of Argentina in Salta.
Proudfoot added that the mid-year home Tests - against Scotland (July 4 and 11) and Georgia (July 18) - will be adequate preparation for the Rugby Championship.
He said they would also prepare two groups in those three Tests.
"I suspect one group will play against Scotland in the two Tests, while the other will face Georgia in the other."
- Compiled by Herman Mostert
