- Several high-profile Springbok players picked up injuries during URC action over the weekend
- Rassie Erasmus faces mounting selection headaches with key figures already sidelined before the tour
- The Stormers were hit particularly hard, with one coach describing the situation as a full-blown crisis
The Springboks' injury concerns have escalated significantly after a punishing weekend of United Rugby Championship action, leaving coach Rassie Erasmus with a growing list of unavailable players just ahead of the end-of-year Tests.
The trouble had already started before the weekend. Stormers director of rugby John Dobson confirmed this week that Cheslin Kolbe will not be available for the upcoming tour as he recovers from a broken jaw. Eben Etzebeth's availability also remains uncertain, while Frans Malherbe, Kwagga Smith and RG Snyman are already ruled out.
Injury issues for Rassie Erasmus
Friday's action brought further bad news when Sharks hybrid back Andre Esterhuizen appeared to sustain a serious ankle injury, adding his name to an already lengthy casualty list.
Saturday proved equally costly. Stormers forwards Deon Fourie and André-Hugo Venter were both helped off during a bruising encounter against the Scarlets, with hamstring and elbow injuries respectively. Fourie had been widely expected to travel with the Springboks when the Nations Championship wraps up in November, but his participation is now in serious doubt.
Pollard limps off as Ackermman gives updates
Meanwhile, Bulls flyhalf Handré Pollard limped off in the second half of his side's match with a hamstring injury. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann reflected on the toll the weekend had taken. "It's been a while since we had so many casualties," he said.
Dobson echoed those sentiments after the Stormers' bruising outing. He described the head-knock monitoring systems working overtime throughout the match, saying:
"The mouth guards were going like pinball. It was ping, ping!" His most pressing concern, however, was the loss of multiple hookers, which severely disrupted his side's set-piece options.
"If you lose both hookers, there's a plan, but I never thought about three," he admitted. "To lose three hookers takes away all our set-pieces. So it is a crisis."
With the end-of-year tour looming, Erasmus will need to make difficult calls as he assesses the depth of a squad stretched thin by injury.
Source: Briefly News
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