Mostert conundrum
RASSIE SAYS HE DOESN’T WANT TO RUIN THINGS BY BEING STUBBORN
Lions lock Franco Mostert remained in doubt for the Springbok Test against England at Twickenham next week, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus revealed yesterday.
Erasmus was set to name his final 35-man squad for the fourmatch European tour after the Currie Cup final today, and he had hinted that fullback Gio Aplon and wing Sergeal Petersen might be among the selected few.
Mostert, however, was involved in a tug-of-war between the Lions and Gloucester and might not be eligible for the England Test which falls outside the international window.
“It’s quite simple. If you enforce the regulation, they have to pitch up on the Sunday before the Test for the matches within the international window, which the England Test is not,” Erasmus said.
“But say for the French Test, we enforce Regulation 9 and that Sunday they must arrive in camp, so we can say at any time we want this player. But there’s a human factor like families involved and you don’t want to ruin things by being stubborn.”
Erasmus said they had a fair relationship with UK clubs, but with regards to Mostert’s situation he admitted he could not give a straight answer.
“If he is a Lions player he will be available but if he is a Gloucester player he won’t.
“The nice thing with Franco is that he has played about every Test so there’s not a lot he will have to catch up with if we hear he is available later.”
Meanwhile, Bok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi (above) was named among three nominees for World Rugby’s 2018 Breakthrough Player of the Year award.
The other nominees for the prestigious accolade were Ireland winger Jordan Larmour and New Zealand prop Karl Tu’inukuafe.
The winner was set to be revealed at the World Rugby Awards in Monte Carlo on November 25.
The 24-year-old Dyantyi marked his Springbok debut with a try against England in June and hasn’t looked back since, starting in nine of South Africa’s Tests in 2018 and scoring six tries, including braces against Argentina and in the win over world champions New Zealand in Wellington.