Four Springboks set to miss end-of-year tour
As the Springbok coaches consider their squad options for the end-of-year tour, there are at least four players expected to be unavailable.
Although the Springboks will now have a bit of a break after winning the Rugby Championship, some members of the squad will soon gather for a one-week training camp in Jersey – one of the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France.
This will primarily focus around their conditioning and preparation for the November tour, when they will face Scotland, England and Wales.
Such has been the quality of the team’s performances since the end of 2022, they now boast an impressive win record of 22 wins in their last 26 matches, and they will be desperate to finish the year with an flourish.
However, it is expected that a few players won’t be available for selection due to injury, including two World Cup winners: Steven Kitshoff (neck) and and Lood de Jager (shoulder).
Rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (knee) is also expected miss out as he recovers from surgery, while Evan Roos is unlikely to be considered after recently going under the knife with a shoulder injury.
HERE IS A REMINDER OF THE SPRINGBOKS’ REMAINING FIXTURES IN 2024
Sunday, 10 November: Scotland vs SA (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday, 16 November: England vs SA (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 23 November: Wales vs SA (Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the team’s focus has already shifted to their November fixtures.
“The pressure has been on the players to gel quickly, and I must give credit to the coaching staff and all the backroom team and the guys for keeping on believing despite all the changes,” he said.
“We’ve used 49 players this year and 35 in the Rugby Championship. But when you get to these crunch games it’s the older heads and the calmer heads that sometimes pull it through…
“Overall, I’m very happy, but the end-of-year tour is now our target and going through that undefeated.”
Captain Siya Kolisi said the team was determined to maintain that winning feeling right through to the end of the year.
“It’s something we’ve talked about (wining the Rugby Championship) and worked for, so we’re very happy,” the two-time World Cup-winning skipper told reporters. “We’ve wanted to win this trophy for a long time, especially this one because most of us have never won the full one before.
“But we don’t want to stop there, we’re not satisfied with where we are. We want to make sure that the team keeps growing and keeps winning.”
DO YOU THINK THE BOKS WILL GO UNDEFEATED ON THE END-OF-YEAR-TOUR?
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