Springbok machine moves up a gear, date revealed for World Cup squad announcement

Springbok management is shifting gears, and meticulous planning - as was the case building up to their famous 2019 triumph in Japan - is at the heart of preparations for their World Cup title defence in France later this year.

That was the clear takeaway from Wednesday's Stellenbosch media briefing, where Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus was flanked by a member from every senior SA Rugby coaching department, including Junior Boks, Women's Boks and Blitzboks leaders.

It was understandable, though, that the Springboks and coach Jacques Nienaber commanded most of the media attention. This, after all, is a year that will provide Nienaber's team with an opportunity to become the first Bok side to defend a World Cup crown.

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Nienaber has been in camp with 14 locally-based top Bok players, who have taken a break from the demands of the United Rugby Championship (URC) to rejuvenate and, ultimately, align with the Springbok plan for the year.

"There were three or four of the 14 [in the current camp] who came through the Elite Player Development (EPD) programme, which started way back in 2013," Erasmus said on Wednesday.

"A guy like Canan (Moodie), Kurt-Lee (Arendse) or Jaden (Hendrikse) ... these guys have been through our junior structures from under-15 with our fundamentals.

"The biggest thing we always try do is align the players so they know the whole programme of the year so they can plan their year. They can plan their weddings, their time with their families, and their movements, and they will know what we are trying to do at the World Cup.

"They will also know where they are in the pecking order and what they have to do apart from winning the URC. We have road maps on them,