Injury woes for Boks as Stick explains SA 'A' selections
SPOTLIGHT: South Africa ‘A’ coach Mzwandile Stick had some explaining to do after he revealed his team to face Munster on Thursday.
Probably the biggest surprise was the inclusion of the Du Preez twins, Dan and Jean-Luc, in the matchday squad.
The brothers were originally not named in the squad but were called up on Sunday because of a few injuries in the main Springbok squad, who are preparing to face France in Marseille on Saturday.
Jean-Luc will start in the No.8 jersey, while Dan will play off the bench.
“A guy like Lood de Jager [shoulder] will be out and Jasper Wiese is still going through some concussion protocols,” said Stick.
“They [Bok medical team] are not sure if he [Wiese] is going to be ready for this week, so we had to pull in two extra loosies.
“If it wasn’t for those injuries, we would probably have guys like Evan Roos and Marvin Orie joining us, but unfortunately they are with the Springboks at the moment.
“Those are the only reasons why those guys are not with us.
“Once again the first priority for us on tour is to make sure that the Springboks are in a better place regarding the availability of the players.”
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#TeamAnnouncement: South Africa ‘A’ coach Mzwandile Stick has included 14 capped Springbok players in his match-day squad to face Munster 👇#SouthAfrica #Springboks #Munster https://t.co/xHcTKLrfaI
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Where are the playmakers?
Some Bok fans were also surprised not to see Stormers’ playmakers Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Thursday’s matchday squad.
“Sacha had a bit of knock in training last week, but it’s not serious. It’s just that the medical team on the other side [in France] want to spend more time with him and make sure that they prepare him if there is an opportunity [against France],” Stick explained.
“Manie Libbok was supposed to join us but unfortunately because of medical reports he had to be pulled back, so that he can give us [the Boks] extra numbers on the other side [in France] and also stand a chance to be selected.
“He would have been here but he is with the Springboks and that is the main thing because the Springboks get to select the best possible players that they want and then we will work with the rest of the squad.”
Meanwhile, Stick also explained the decision to put two scrumhalves in the form of Grant Williams and Sanele Nohamba on the bench for Thursday’s clash.
Williams can cover wing as well, while Nohamba can be used as a playmaker.
“We presented our plans to the team last night [Sunday] and the guys are aligned,” said Stick.
“Grant Williams’ first priority is scrumhalf and he wants a fair opportunity at No.9. The same goes for Sanele.
“Sanele has played flyhalf at junior level so he can cover both positions and then there is Gianni Lombard who is a utility back.
“I also coached him [Lombard] at the Junior Boks where we used to play him at wing, so I am not concerned at all.
“We got footballers there [on the bench] – players who can cover a lot of different positions.”
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