Springbok Women assistant coach Eddie Myners said the first day of training showed little rustiness following a short break the squad enjoyed after their historic victory over Japan's Sakura XV just over a week ago.
“We had a good start to the week with a very nice team building session this morning and then some clarity sessions with our forwards and backs,” said Myners.
“The team can now focus on the challenges Spain will bring on the weekend.”
An early morning obstacle course challenge at the local Army Support Base had the team sweating, but boosted the mood in the camp, while they went through their paces on the training field on a crisp afternoon in Potchefstroom.
“The meeting laid out what our expectations and goals are for the two Tests against Spain, and everyone is now working towards the achievement of those,” said Myners.
“We identified further improvement in set-pieces, especially our lineouts, and we want to make sure we keep lifting the bar following that solid performance against Japan in Kumagaya.”
Myners said the stellar defensive effort from the 20-10 win will have to be repeated against Spain.
“We looked at the defensive system again – in Japan we managed to overcome some tough conditions, so the belief is there, but the reality is that Spain are ranked even higher than Japan, so we can expect some fierce resistance from them,” Myners said.
“For us to be successful, we just need to highlight the role each player has in the defensive system as communication in that regard will be vital if we want to achieve the same result against Spain.”
Myners said Spain will bring different challenges: “They are ranked higher than us for a reason. We will have to be at our best – we have played them a couple of years ago and they outplayed us.
“That said, the win over Japan did give the team some self-belief and confidence. That is something we will use to our advantage and make sure we take that into the Spain match.”
The Springbok Women will announce their line-up on Thursday. Kick-off for the Emirates Airline Park clash, which will be played as a curtain raiser to the Springboks’ second Test against the All Blacks, will be at 13h30.
Spain arrived in Potchefstroom on Monday afternoon, where the second Test will be played at the Fanie du Toit Stadium next Friday.