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Eben Etzebeth (Gallo Images)
- Three of the final blocks of the 2019 South Africa World Cup are currently out of play due to injuries.
- It could be a huge blow to South Africa’s chances if the 2020 Rugby Championship takes place in November.
- There is still no clarity on when the competition will return in South Africa.
When the Springboks won the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, they were blessed with quality depth at all positions, especially blocking.
Because coach Rassie Erasmus favored a six / two, front / back split on the bench, he was able to include four specialized blocks on his day 23, giving South Africa a huge boost in terms of physicality in the engine room. .
Eben Etzebeth and Lead the hunter would finish the tournament as starters, while RG Snyman and Franco Mostert provided the momentum of the second half from the bench.
While the date to return to play in South Africa has yet to be confirmed, all four of the aforementioned players, with the exception of Mostert, are now injured.
With the Rugby Championship in November still a possibility, where the Springboks would look to defend the title they won last year, these latest injuries are not good news for Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber.
Snyman suffered a devastating service knee injury for Munster at PRO14 two weeks ago and is expected to be out for months.
Then last weekend Etzebeth left the field in the second half of Toulon’s Top 14 loss to La Rochelle with what appeared to be a painful rib injury.
The extent of the injury will only be known later in the week, but Etzebeth seemed very uncomfortable.
De Jager, meanwhile, injured his shoulder in Sale’s loss to Exeter, also last weekend.
The towering second rower has had a history of shoulder problems – it was the injury that saw his participation in the World Cup final cut short – and this latest development means the Boks could enter the Rugby Championship without key power in your group. .
Regardless of injuries, it is still unclear whether South Africa will be able to field a team in the Rugby Championship, given the tournament is expected to start on November 7.
Even if a national tournament starts in early October, South Africans would still have to arrive in New Zealand early for a quarantine period, meaning that local players would enter the championship significantly with little playing time.
– Compiled by Lloyd Burnard
