The Springboks arrived in Nelspruit on Sunday from Gqeberha where they defeated Italy 45-0, and immediately got back into action for Saturday’s match at the Mbombela Stadium on Monday with video sessions, which will be followed by a gym and field training session this afternoon.

<< TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM TICKETMASTER >>

The Boks also did a thorough analysis of Georgia, who went down 24-20 against the Toyota Cheetahs in a warm-up game last Friday, and said they knew what they would be up against.

“Every Test is important for us, and we never underestimate any team,” said Davids. “We know what their DNA is. We played against them in 2021, so they will certainly bring their traditional physicality and give everything out there.

“We’ve heard they want to play in the Six Nations, and they will see this match as a step in trying to achieve that. That said, we have our own standards, and we know where we want to be going into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship later in the season, so this is a massive game for us to try to improve and build on what we have achieved so far.”

Nortje shared the coach’s sentiments and said: “Georgia are a tough team that have delivered a few good performances in the last few seasons, so we are preparing ourselves for an extremely physical and challenging match this weekend.”

Davids revealed that all the players in the squad have received a clean bill of health and will be available for selection this week, with Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus set to name his match-23 for the encounter on Tuesday.

The Bok assistant coach also empathised with Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese, who will have a disciplinary hearing after receiving a red card in Gqeberha, but he said they trusted the judicial process and that the team had to deal with any eventually.

“World Rugby have a disciplinary process they follow, and we respect that,” said Davids. “As a team, we will be there for Jasper regardless of what decision is made.”

Zoning in on the cover at No 8 in the group, Davids said: “We have versatile players in our squad, and players like Evan (Roos), Siya (Kolisi) and Marco (van Staden) can cover No 8, so we have a few players who can play there for us.”

On a lighter note, Nortje cherished every moment of being back in the Springbok squad and looked forward to facing Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium.

“The Mbombela Stadium is one of my favourite places to play,” said Nortje. “I was fortunate to face Argentina here last year, and I’ll never forget the atmosphere and the support for the team. The people here really get behind the Boks, so I’ll be very excited if I get an opportunity to play this weekend.”

Speaking about what makes the Springbok environment so special, the physical lock said: “This is a fantastic environment to be part of, and every player is privileged to be here, so when you get the opportunity, you have to grab it with both hands.

“Personally, I try to learn as much as I can whenever I’m in the team, especially if one looks at the locks we have, such as Eben (Etzebeth), RG (Snyman) and a couple of others, who are among the best in the world.”

The match kicks off at 17h10 on Saturday and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.