Felix Jones is back in South Africa and ‘always on the Springbok players’ case’ regarding their fitness and skills, but that will stand the world champions in good stead as they prepare for a demanding 2025 international season.
With another experimental year ahead as they look to fine-tune their squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, the return of Jones, who coached England for a season, will only aid the Boks, because they brought in someone who understands their systems and knows what it takes to be successful at the international tournament.
🗣️ “Is your output still the same? If you’re 35 and you still do it, you can play!”
Rassie Erasmus on his mindset when it comes to balancing youth with experience this season ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/QE4YRg8WXF
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 21, 2025
Jones, who helped South Africa to back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2023, has hardly been back, but he is keen to add to the Boks’ metamorphosis as they continue to build towards the tournament Down Under.
“It’s great to see how we’ve evolved as a team from 2019 to 2023 and coming back you can see that evolution is continuing,” Jones said after his first official training camp with the squad.
“This is one of the great strengths of the team, they don’t like to stand still. They are constantly looking to improve. It is one of the most exciting parts of coming back in. I can see the evolution, and that is one of the most thrilling parts.
Kicking off the Springbok season in style 🍿
The Barbarians are in town as DHL Stadium hosts the first international match of the season.
🎟️ Tickets still available from Ticketmaster.
📺 Sat 28 June | 16:00 Build-up | 17:10 Kick-off pic.twitter.com/7ccAm8g6gp
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 19, 2025
“We know we need to keep growing and improving and are working hard to achieve that on the field. It has been a really exciting time to come back and work with coaches I have a strong relationship with. And learning a lot about the ways we have evolved.”
Jones has adopted a roaming role within the world champions’ coaching staff and has assisted the coaches in their different departments to get players up to the standard they want them. He oversaw the fitness tests they did the last couple of weeks, and captain Siya Kolisi said jokingly that he pushed them to the limit and it was good for the players.
The @Barbarian_FC will announce their final squad in the coming days – if you could bring one of these former #Springboks back, who would it be? 🫡
Don’t miss out, grab your tickets now from Ticketmaster South Africa – click here: https://t.co/28iIerACCJ 🎟
There’s rugby …… pic.twitter.com/pWF7sMGjto
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 21, 2025
Jones also explained the differences between coaching in South Africa and England but said there were many similarities regarding the players’ drive and what they want to achieve.
“The biggest difference with South Africa is the diversity. Players we call on in different parts of the country, different backgrounds and who are playing overseas in different countries. We can draw from different sources if I can call it that and try to get it down to one thing. It is a challenge, but also one of the great strengths. When you get it right, it can be quite special.”
