Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt insists that pre-season friendlies are vital to helping his side find match fitness ahead of the new season.

With 25 days left until the start of the new season, the Clever Boys have left for their annual pre-season camp in Stellenbosh.

The Clever Boys will participate in friendlies against both Premiership and National First Division clubs as they prepare for the season ahead.

Hunt told us a little bit about what will take place in Stellenbosh, and why the trip is so important for The Clever Boys, reports the Bidvest Wits website.

‘It is always good to go away before the season starts – it helps the players gel together and create team spirit. With fewer distractions away from home, in an intensified environment with training happening 3 times a day, we are able to work on a few patterns of play, and to get the shape of the team right,’ Hunt said.

‘I have been doing away pre-season trips for years, and it always has great advantages for the team, therefore, it is something we will continue to do. There are opposition teams for us to play against in the Western Cape which is also important for us.’

The 52-year-old coach insists that playing pre-season friendlies is vital to the team’s structure as it will help them gain much-needed match fitness.

‘By playing matches in the pre-season it helps the team and technical staff to get the combinations right and gain match fitness. You can train all day in the gym and be doing drills, and your team will still not have match fitness and I think that plays a vital role in the season,’ he added.

Hunt admits that he sign some players that does not have much game time under their belt but make up for it with their quality.

‘There are a few players that have just come in and it will take some time for them to settle into the way that we train and operate at Bidvest Wits. It is challenging to sign players who have not had a lot of game time but the plus side is that they have the ability. Once we have developed a hunger within the players we will take it from there,’ the Wits coach said.