Nienaber says Boks on track for Rugby Championship: 'Things are coming together nicely'

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber says they are on track with their preparations for the upcoming Rugby Championship.

The world champions on Friday concluded the second week of their three-week training camp in Pretoria. The Boks will open their Rugby Championship campaign with a Test against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld on 8 July.

This week's training camp comprised numerous field and gym sessions, as well as team meetings.

"Things are coming together nicely," Nienaber said on Friday. "The intensity of our training sessions is good and it’s pleasing to see how we are progressing. We had a good base to build from thanks to the camps earlier in the season, and we’ve built on that steadily since getting together.

"We also started zooming into the Tests against Australia and New Zealand this week because it's vital that we are well prepared going into those Test matches and have a good Rugby Championship campaign before entering our Rugby World Cup warm-up matches and the global spectacle itself later in the season."

READ | Realistic Rassie rubbishes any thoughts of Boks as World Cup favourites: 'No sense doing that'

The Boks, meanwhile, received further good news when World Rugby cleared lock Jean Kleyn to be picked by South Africa.

The global governing body confirmed that Kleyn, who formerly played for Ireland, fulfilled the necessary "birthright transfer" requirements.

"Jean's clearance is great news for the team in this important season," said SA Rugby's director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus.

"His international experience increases our depth at lock while at the same time boosting the experience in the squad in a year in which every match is vital in our preparations for the World Cup." 

In a shortened Rugby Championship, South