Jean-Luc du Preez and Aphelele Fassi relishing Barbarians' challenge

The Boks wrapped up their main training block of the week in soaking wet and cold conditions in the Mother City on Wednesday.

The players will have Thursday off to rest before adding the finishing touches to their game at Friday's captains' run.

The match will mark Du Preez's first start in the green and gold since 2018 and his first appearance for the Boks in almost two years, something he was thrilled about, even though it is not an official Test match.

"Playing for the Springboks again has always been in the back of my mind, and my plan was always to give my best for my club in the hope that I make it back into the team, so I'm delighted to get this opportunity again," said Du Preez.

"It is a massive privilege, so I plan to go out there and give it my best."

Commenting on partnering up with Vincent Tshituka and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in a physical loose trio, Du Preez said: "I'm looking forward to playing with them. The last time I played with Siya was back in 2018, so it's going to be good to reconnect with him on the field again on Saturday."

Fassi was equally thrilled about reuniting with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe in an exciting back-three combination.

"It's fantastic to play with them," said Fassi. "We've played together a fair bit, so we know each other well, and I'm looking forward to playing with them again."

Zoning in on the Barbarians touring squad, both players anticipated an exciting challenge, but stressed that the team was solely focused on the boxes they want to tick going into the Castle Lager Incoming Series, which features Tests against Italy and Georgia in July.

"The Barbarians enjoy putting up a good display for the crowd, and we expect players like Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell to come hard at us," said Du Preez. "There is no doubt that many of their players will want to prove a point against the Boks."

Fassi echoed these sentiments: "We have a good idea about the Barbarians set-up, and we know they like to throw the ball around, but the focus for us will be to stick to our structures and play the way we want to play.

"We are approaching this as a Test match, and we've trained that way all week, so although we have freedom as players to make decisions on the field, we'll certainly do so within our systems."

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