VIDEO: Frans Steyn's verdict on his World Cup prospects
There is finally word from two-time World Cup winner Frans Steyn about his prospect of making the Springbok team bus to France.
However, that word has come via Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie, who painted a bleak picture of the Bok legend’s chances of featuring in a record fourth World Cup.
Steyn remains ‘medically unfit’ and unavailable for Cheetahs and Springbok selection.
The 36-year-old Steyn now seems to have lost the ‘race against time’ to recover from the knee surgery and be fit for the World Cup in September and October.
Steyn has been ruled out of the remainder of the Currie Cup season, after he sustained the injury in the Cheetahs’ 32-7 Currie Cup win over the Bulls in Bloemfontein in March.
Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie, speaking ahead of the Currie Cup Final face-off against the defending-champion Pumas in Bloemfontein on Saturday, said Steyn himself is not very optimistic about his World Cup prospects.
“It will be difficult, and I can’t see it happening, but miracles do happen,” Fourie told @rugby365com – when quizzed about the possibility of Steyn recovering in time for the World Cup..
“He himself isn’t confident that he’ll be able to play very soon again,” the Cheetahs coach said about Steyn.
He revealed that the rehabilitation from surgery is not progressing fast enough to allow for an unexpected return.
(Article continues below Hawies Fourie interview …)
“He’s still in the rehabilitation process, so he’s going to be out for another few months,” Fourie said.
“He [Steyn] can’t even jog at the moment.
“It’s a long way to get back on the field and play at a standard that’s good enough to go to the World Cup.”
Earlier Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber told @rugby365com that they have been in ‘conversation’ with the Cheetahs’ medical team – who is managing Steyn’s rehabilitation..
“If he gets medically fit we’ll consider him,” he said, adding: “He is currently not eligible.”
With the World Cup scheduled to kick off in France on September 8, it leaves the Bloemfontein-based star very little time to prove his fitness once he has completed his rehabilitation.
The 36-year-old, who played vital roles for the Boks in the 2007 and 2019 World Cup victories, has made no secret of his desire to travel to France with the defending champions in September and October.
He became just the second South African player to win the World Cup twice, following Springbok great Pieter du Randt.
Like Du Randt, Steyn won his two tournaments 12 years apart, first lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in 2007 as a 20-year-old.
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