VIDEO: Powell drops seven-week Bok bomb
INTERVIEW: South Africa’s franchises will be without the services of their World Cup-bound Springboks for much longer than initially expected.
It was expected that the national team players on the World Cup short-list would be unavailable for only February.
However, Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell revealed on Friday that the Bok ‘rest period’ is, in fact, seven weeks and will continue until late in March.
This bomb was dropped on the eve of the United Rugby Championship Round One catch-up match between the Sharks and Stormers at Kings Park on Saturday.
The original match, back in September last year, was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
As a result, the two teams will be without 14 of their Springboks – eight who regularly feature in the Sharks matchday squads in the URC and European Cup competitions and six from the Stormers outfit.
Some of the Stormers Boks are also on the injury-enforced unavailable list.
This list includes the likes of South Africa’s Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth, Bok captain Siyamthanda Kolisi, Thomas du Toit, Retshegofaditswe Nché, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Jaden Hendrikse, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie and Damian Willemse.
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“It [the seven-week period] started the week after the [European Cup Round Four] encounter with Harlequins,” Powell said of the January 21 fixture at Twickenham Stoop, in London.
“They will be in a compulsory rest period for four weeks and the last three weeks they will go into a [Springbok World Cup preparation] camp.”
The Sharks were fortunate enough to have had the use of seasoned props Du Toit and Nché for their 22-19 URC Round 13 win over Edinburgh in the Scottish capital last week.
“They [the Boks] will be back before we play Scarlets again,” the Sharks boss said of his team’s Round 16 encounter in Llanelli on March 25.
Apart from Saturday’s home game against the Stormers, the Springboks will also be unavailable for matches against the Lions (February 18) at Ellis Park, the Round Six catch-up match against Ulster (February 25 – a match cancelled after a stomach bug resulted in the Irish team being unable to field a full squad) and the Round 15 encounter with the Stormers on March 4.
The Sharks will be back to full strength when they host Munster in a European Cup Round of 16 match in Durban on April 1.
“We are looking forward to getting them back,” he said of their absent Springboks.
Powell added that he has confidence in the ‘back-up’ players in the squad to get them through the next few weeks.
He used Kolisi as an example – with the likes of James Venter and Sikhumbuzo Notshe in this weekend’s squad, while the KwaZulu-Natal-born and schooled Dylan Richardson (a Scottish-capped loose forward) waiting in the wings.
“We still have enough quality in our squad to be successful,” he added.
“That is how we contracted the squad, to ensure we have enough cover for the Boks.
“It is a great opportunity for those players to show what they are capable of.”
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