Top Boks need rest, warns Noakes
Professor Tim Noakes says South Africa need to rest the core of the top players if they want to beat the British and Irish Lions next June.
Noakes, a respected sport science professor, believes the top players need at least eight to ten consecutive weeks away from rugby to perform at their peak midway through next year.
Bryan Habana looked particularly off the pace throughout the Boks' year-end tour and former Bok technical advisor Eddie Jones, also suggested the speedster should have a break for three to four weeks to concentrate on speedwork.
However, Noakes believes even that won't be sufficient.
"I think three weeks is too little for Bryan. He needs four to six weeks," Noakes told Die Burger.
"I spoke to him recently and he said the longest he rested consecutively was two weeks."
Noakes says the World Cup success in 2007 was a result of having 22 of the best players available for the final against England. And that it did not happen by chance as former coach, Jake White and his medical staff bought into the idea of giving the top players a break from rugby .
He believes resting the top players during last year's Tr-Nations was a masterstroke which played a major role in the team's triumph in France.
This year the Springboks played in the Currie Cup and a concerted effort was made to rest some of the top-Boks. But it did not happen as smoothly as the Tr-Nations sabbatical last year, therefore Noakes believes it is now the ideal time to give the players much needed time off.
"I don't understand why the Springboks have to play in every Currie Cup game. It affects the way they play in Europe at the end of the year.
"When you rest the players you reap the rewards the next year. We are now paying the price for last year's success," he said.
Noakes is also concerned that the price could be more significant if the top-Boks are not given an extended break before the British and Irish Lions Series.
"The guys that played more than 25 games this year and are going to play in the Super 14 are going to be very tired when the Lions arrive.
"This can result in a lot of injuries and if the Boks lose two or three of the top players it could tip the scales in the Lions' favour."
