Boks still in doubt for Rugby Championship
The Springboks are still far from certain starters in the Rugby Championship.
World champions South Africa are due to join New Zealand, Australia and Argentina in the tournament due to be played in Australia from November 7 to December 12.
But South African director of rugby Rassie Erasmus says the country’s top players may not be well-prepared enough to compete in the tournament, due to the lack of rugby forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘‘We desperately want to play, it will be terrible to go a year without the Springboks playing,’’ Erasmus said.
‘‘But we have had one of the toughest lockdowns in the world and our players were indoors for months. In other countries players could train or go to the park to exercise, we did not have that.
‘‘So if you look at the science, we have to get five or six matches into the players for their own welfare and to make it safe for them, and we are working out how to do that. Players probably need 500 minutes [of game-time] to be safe.’’
Erasmus, who coached the Springboks to their 2019 World Cup triumph in Japan before handing over the reins to Jacques Nienaber, said there was also resistance from English clubs over the release of players.
‘‘We would want to arrive in Australia at the same time, as you have to quarantine for two weeks, which is why you need to take a massive squad because if you get injuries, you can’t just bring someone new in.
The country’s South Africa’s domestic competition isn’t due to start until October 10 – although two select teams are set to play a trial match on October 3 – and Erasmus believes contesting the four-team tournament in Australia without a proper buildup for the players could be dangerous for them physically.
He said they would want to confirm participation by October 10 at the latest.
‘‘We want to go, we know we have to go [from a financial point of view], we are just working out how we make it possible to go.’’
Meanwhile, Erasmus has been working remotely due to an existing health condition.
‘‘Erasmus was diagnosed in 2018 with a rare condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels including in the throat and lungs, which increases vulnerability to the impact of a potential Covid-19 infection,’’ a release from South Africa Rugby said.
‘‘The condition is managed but until all risk is eliminated, Erasmus will continue to work remotely.’’