Springbok World Cup-winning wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie will definitely miss not only the first test of the international season against Wales but also the first test against Ireland on 6 July.
▪️ Steven Kitshoff
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 13, 2024
▪️ Jean Kleyn
▪️ Lood de Jager
▪️ Jean-Luc du Preez
▪️ Jaden Hendrikse
▪️ Henco van Wyk
▪️ Canan Moodie
▪️ Damian Willemse
▪️ Kurt-Lee Arendse
Rassie Erasmus confirms nine Springboks will miss the Wales Test and first Ireland Test due to injury 🤕 pic.twitter.com/Q6aBrCxDXW
The duo, who were injured in the last 10 days, with Arendse sustaining a fractured cheekbone and Moodie a fractured index finger, were ruled out of contention for the next two tests in order to give them a chance to recover.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus also confirmed that star winger Cheslin Kolbe is “touch and go” while hooker Malcolm Marx needs to be managed back into action after not playing since he was injured in the World Cup last year.
World Cup-winning fullback Damian Willemse has also been ruled out of both tests.
Get well soon boys 👊🏼 #Springboks pic.twitter.com/6VXFxmwfUW
— Darren (@SaffasRugby) June 12, 2024
Kolbe’s progress is set to be monitored over the next few days and a decision will be made before the team is announced internally on Sunday and to the public on Tuesday with the team flying out to London on Wednesday night for next Saturday’s match at Twickenham.
Cheslin Kolbe will complete his rehab for a knee injury with the #Springboks in Pretoria - more here: https://t.co/z56OSwU6sE 👍#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/rVvB72SJXh
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 13, 2024
Erasmus also confirmed a few names that have been circulating with longer team injuries, including Steven Kitshoff, Jean Kleyn, Lood de Jager, Jean-Luc du Preez and midfielder Henco van Wyk, who isn’t capped but was at the alignment camps.
Jasper Wiese is also serving a six-match ban and won’t be available until deep into the international season.
Given the injury list, there may have been some thought of wrapping up players in cotton wool to prevent further injuries ahead of the Ireland test, but Erasmus dismissed this idea.
'A BALANCING ACT'
“I think we are at a stage where we don’t have the luxury of keeping guys in cotton wool. A simple thing - a guy like Ox has played a lot, but he is not tired, he is not punch drunk. Same with Vincent (Koch), the same with Frans (Malherbe),” he explained.
“A guy like Gerhard Steenekamp did really well for us last year. When he becomes available he will probably be someone who just slots in. He is not old and punch drunk.
“But a guy like Malcolm is a guy you probably want to manage more, with the other hookers around. You have to think carefully because you want to see some new blood playing, but you also don’t want what happened in 2018 where we blooded a helluva lot of guys but we lost the test match. We want to win the test match, we want to manage some guys getting back from injury and we want to blood some youngsters.
“So it is a bit of a balancing act, but as the week goes on, we will get some clarity. Ok, Malcolm can play in that game, ok, Cheslin, we have to manage him still. Putting them in cotton wool, well, they won’t be match fit and battle ready for Ireland. Wales is certainly no pushover as we have experienced in the past.”
Erasmus said that if the Bulls did lose their Vodacom United Rugby Championship semifinal this weekend against Leinster, he would certainly look to include some of their players in the test team, but that this would be limited to experienced players.
It is unlikely that some of the younger players gunning for selection would be looked at for the Wales test.
“In certain positions, yes definitely. If you look at the squad that we have here currently, we are going to announce our team internally on Sunday so that the guys - especially the new guys in the team - can get settled before we fly out on Wednesday.
“In certain positions in the team, there will be a few new guys next to each other. Then some of the Bulls guys who understand what we want to do and how we want to play, and where we want to change a few things - some of them have been in those alignment camps.
“I don’t think everybody that will be involved for the Ireland test matches will get drafted in for the Welsh test match for the pure fact that they haven’t really trained with us. But there is a helluva lot of experience and we already have a few injuries.
“Cheslin is touch and go, but Mapimpi is fine. We might be thin there, and we do have (Quan) Horn and (Aphelele) Fassi but a guy like Willie le Roux might just help settle down combinations there. Depending on how the guys do and the injuries, it wouldn’t be ideal for them to have three training sessions and then play against Wales.”
Erasmus and his coaching team will be watching the URC semifinal and will then plot their selection with one eye on returning for the massive two test series against Ireland.