Boks cancel training as a precautionary measure

The Springboks hit a bump just five days out from their first test match of the year against Georgia on Friday when three positive Covid tests forced them to cancel a scheduled training session in Johannesburg on Sunday.

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Herschel Jantjies and Sbu Nkosi, who were both part of the Bok training camp in Bloemfontein over the past three weeks, tested positive when the squad regathered into the bio-bubble on Sunday. Saracens based Vincent Koch, who was set to join the team from England, also tested positive in the mandatory Covid test carried out when the squad reassembled.

SA Rugby confirmed that the three players tested positive for the virus following stringent real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing procedures on arrival at the team base. Team management immediately put the squad into self-isolation as a precaution until specialist medical advice is sought from the Castle Lager Lions Series Medical Advisory Group (MAG).

The SA Rugby press release said a decision on further team activities will be made shortly, but national director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said in an online press conference at lunch time on Suday that they did not feel that the positive tests will lead to the matches against Georgia being under any threat.

While Nienaber said it was not an ideal situation for his team to be missing training on Sunday and probably again on Monday, Erasmus reminded the media participating in the online press conference that he has a big squad of 45 fit players in camp (Duane Vermeulen is there but can’t play at present) precisely in order to avoid his team not being able to fulfil their playing obligations.

“The decisions will be made externally and the Georgians come in today (Sunday) but I don’t think the Georgia game will be impacted by what has happened,” said Erasmus.

“Just in terms of who was in contact with who I think this (the infections) will be isolated and that is why we have 45 guys in camp. So that we will never be in a situation where we don’t have enough players to play a match. To play against Georgia we need to have 23 players who test negatively for Covid. It if it came to it, we would go outside the current Bok group if we had to, but that shouldn’t be necessary.

“We need to see it in perspective. This is the first time myself and Jacques are experiencing something like this, but our franchise teams and many of the international teams have experienced it. For instance, England assistant coach Matt Proudfoot tested positive and he and England head coach Eddie Jones had to isolate last year, and Fiji also had a problem. It is just a reality of the times we are living in.”

Erasmus said the Boks and the management advised the committee immediately when the positive tests were confirmed and were following all the agreed protocols.

“There is an agreed protocol to be followed and we immediately advised the committee about the positive tests and we are now waiting in our rooms to hear about what the next steps will be,” said Erasmus.

“I don’t think this is a big worry as this is the first time we are properly together as a full group and the cases were isolated but we will do what the committee tells us to do.”

He stressed that the team had followed all the necessary precautions since the start of the three-week conditioning camp that took place in Bloemfontein, and that included mandatory Covid-19 testing three times a week.

Nienaber said that the cancelled training sessions would disrupt the planned smooth flow of the build-up to Friday night’s test match but said that he had always known that in the times of Covid flexibility and adaptability would be key components in the management process.

“It’s not ideal in the sense that we would have loved to go on as normal and have this week flow as we planned it to but the Covid environment we are operating in means that being adaptable is key,” said Nienaber.

“The priority for us is to keep both ourselves and the Lions as safe as possible. We know there are going to be times we will have to make plans on the run. In terms of the impact on selection for Friday, Herschel and Sbu were both in the mix for selection for the game because they have been with us in Bloemfontein and have been part of the processes but Vincent has just arrived and wasn’t in Bloemfontein. He hasn’t been part of our processes yet so would not have been considered for selection.”

The Lions tour squad will arrive in South Africa on Monday and their first tour game is against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.