SA teams are fighting fit and raring to go

HAVING key players ruled out of action even before a competition starts is probably every coach’s biggest worry. But four days before the 2012 edition of Super Rugby kicks off, South Africa’s five franchise coaches are generally in a pretty good space regarding who is available and who isn’t.

Whether it’s because there was no Springbok tour to Europe at the end of last year or because conditioning coaches are working smarter than before, the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks and Stormers will all just about be at full strength when Super Rugby gets under way on Friday.

The Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers are probably best off with only a few individuals unable to be part of the start of the competition, while Sharks coach John Plumtree will feel he’s been dealt the worst hand during pre-season.

Not only will Plumtree have to make do without John Smit, who’s now playing his rugby in England this year, he will start his challenge without Beast Mtawarira, who’ll miss the next eight weeks because of an ankle injury. Compounding matters further, Plumtree will also be without Jean Deysel (knee, five weeks) and Willem Alberts (shoulder, three weeks).

While the absence of these men will hurt the Sharks, Plumtree has enough quality in his squad to plug the gaps, as is the case with Frans Ludeke at the Bulls.

Ludeke will be without Dewald Potgieter (arm), Wynand Olivier (hand), Rossouw de Klerk (knee) and Fudge Mabeta (knee) for the start of the competition, to go with Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Fourie du Preez, who have all retired or are playing elsewhere.

Naka Drotske (Cheetahs), John Mitchell (Lions) and Allister Coetzee (Stormers) though will be relieved men that their teams will just about be as they’d like them to be at the start of the season.

Under the guidance of conditioning guru Wayne Taylor, the Lions went through the whole of 2011 without too many serious injuries. The Lions will only be without Waylon Murray, Dylan Des Fountain and Bandise Maku in the coming weeks.

Coetzee has had to deal with only one serious setback in hooker Deon Fourie (hand) who’ll miss a substantial chunk of the competition but otherwise the Stormers coach can pick a very formidable side this week. Of course, the absence of Jaque Fourie, now playing in Japan, will be felt.

In Bloemfontein, Drotske, too, will be giving his conditioning team a big pat on the back. There are not too many injury worries at the moment, but prop Coenie Oosthuizen (neck) and Juan Smith (Achilles) will be missed over the next couple of weeks.

But it won’t only be the five local Super Rugby coaches who’ll be holding thumbs the injury bug doesn’t strike too often this season, but new Bok boss Heyneke Meyer, too.