Springboks draft another Stormers lock amid injury woes
· Citizen
Just days after uncapped Stormers lock Ruben van Heerden was added to the Springbok squad as an injury replacement, club teammate Adré Smith was drafted as well.
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This comes as the Springboks have limited options at lock due to widespread injuries, while Ruan Nortjé and Cobus Wiese are unavailable for the Springboks v Barbarians and SA ‘A’ v Zimbabwe fixtures, for which the squad has now been expanded to 54 players.
That is because the Bulls locks will play against Leinster in their URC final on Friday, the day before those clashes.
Springbok lock stocks
RG Snyman, Ruan Venter and Salmaan Moerat are all out with long-term injuries, while Eben Etzebeth is expected to be fit in time for the opening Nations Championship match against England on 4 July.
Jean Kleyn should also return in the following weeks.
Van Heerden joined the group this week after Moerat’s injury. Otherwise, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton are available, and flankers Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ben-Jason Dixon could cover lock if needed.
Besides injuries, there has been concern over the age of the lock stock, more than a year off from the next Rugby World Cup.
Except for Snyman and Van Heerden (both 28), Venter (23) and Norton (20), all the Springbok locks are in their early to mid 30s.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus admitted this week that injuries could be linked to age. However, he said the veterans in his side could all still perform as was asked of them.
Matchday squads to be announced
The squad will resume their preparations from Monday after spending the weekend with their families.
The squad will depart for the Eastern Cape on Wednesday afternoon, with the Springbok and SA ‘A’ teams having their respective captains’ runs on Friday for Saturday’s clashes at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and SA ‘A’ team head coach Mzwandile Stick will announce their matchday squads on Tuesday.