Oh brother! Twins set for Kiwi action
KRIEL OUT: BOTH DU PREEZS IN LINE FOR BOK CALL-UP
For the first time since the era of the Du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, the Springboks could field a set of brothers when they take on the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship in Albany on Saturday.
A shoulder injury has ruled out ace flank Jaco Kriel, which could open the door for Jean-luc du Preez to start with his twin Dan either named at No 8 or starting from the bench.
Hooker Bismarck (33), who has played 79 Tests and prop Jannie (34) who has 70 caps, haven’t been selected since 2015 partly due to their involvement with French club Montpellier.
Kriel will return home after he complained of a shoulder problem after the draw against the Wallabies in Perth last Saturday. A scan in Auckland revealed Kriel had sustained a labrum tear and the Bok team management has confirmed that no replacement will be called upon as the team has sufficient loose forward cover.
Prop Wilco Louw arrived in Auckland late on Monday night as a replacement for the injured Coenie Oosthuizen, who returned home with a broken arm following the Perth Test.
Trevor Nyakane is the probable starter in the No 3 jersey with Ruan Dreyer and Louw the options for a place on the bench as front-row cover.
Meanwhile, loose forward Jerome Kaino returned to training with the All Blacks yesterday, but was unlikely to be selected for Saturday’s Test.
Kaino, who had not been selected in the matchday squad, left the squad on the day of the first match against the Wallabies in Sydney last month to deal with a personal issue.
The popularity of the resurgent Springboks was demonstrated Monday with public tickets for the October 7 Test against the All Blacks sold out within an hour.
Only 22 000 tickets went on public sale and were snapped up 60 minutes after becoming available nationwide, officials said.
The rest of the 52 000 crowd for the Rugby Championship final-round fixture at Newlands will consist of season-ticket holders and hospitality suite guests.