Boks take training break to relax with WAGS in south of France

While the bedbugs were biting in Paris, in the south the Springboks took to the salty waters of the Mediterranean before they started preparations for their potential Rugby World Cup quarterfinal next Saturday.

The Boks on Monday and Tuesday started the initial part of their 13-day break between matches by making the most of the sun and the surf, which are plentiful in these parts.

While they have a long, narrow stretch of beach in front of their team hotel in Sablettes, a large Bok contingent including wives and girlfriends made the 45-minute trek to Cassis for a beach that was a little more secluded.

Same Same is a private beach 19km east of Marseille where the players and their families frolicked in waters frequented by well-heeled sun seekers. A 15-minute walk away, the town is abuzz with tourists, with American, German and British accents the most prevalent.

Cassis, a once-sleepy fishing village, is slightly, though not entirely, off the beaten track. It doesn't suffer the tourist frenzy of, say, Nice, Cannes, St Tropez or Monaco, and perhaps provided the veneer of privacy and exclusivity the Boks sought.

The clay and limestone cliffs that flank one half of the village produce some of the France's finest rosé. Though not even medium-range, a box of six Bodin AOP Cassis will set you back €108 (R2,160). 

The team had lunch in a restaurant that nestles above the left side of the beach. Towering above the right side of the pebbled shore sits a villa that was used as a location for the 1971 caper classic The French Connection. It was the lair of the arch-villain Alain Charnier.

After having been named man of the match against Tonga, Deon Fourie, who knows a thing or two about being an agent provocateur, signalled his intention to hit the beaches with his family.

Fellow front-ranker Vincent Koch said most of the group had spent their time off with family. “The guys went for lunch and spent time away from rugby. Others went to play golf — just to clear [their heads] a little bit and be in a different environment.”

Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick also expressed his appreciation for getting to spend some time with his family.

“A lot of other countries don’t have that opportunity,” said Bok lock Jean Kleyn. “When I was with Ireland in 2019, it was not something we were [able] to do. It’s been absolutely fantastic having our families with us. Any man is only as good as the people standing behind him.

“For me personally, to have my wife and son with me [has] been an absolute joy — although with an eight-month-old baby you don’t sleep all the time! But it’s still worth it.

“We’re four months into our block that we’ve been with the Springboks. It’s a very long time. I don’t think it would be manageable if we [didn't] have our families with us.

“It’s good that all the wives and girlfriends are so included, [and] they get to see each other as well. You form deeper bonds through that.”