VIDEO: 'He would not have played anyway'
INJURY UPDATE: Star Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth is expected to be sidelined for seven to 10 days with a shoulder injury.
However, South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus said on Monday that Etzebeth was not scheduled to play in the Round Two match against Romania in Bordeaux on Sunday.
Etzebeth, 31, suffered the shoulder injury in the Springboks’ 18-3 win over Scotland in their opening World Cup Pool B match in Marseille this past Sunday.
He was replaced in the 26th minute by RG Snyman.
“We’re waiting for the scan,” Erasmus told an online media briefing.
“I’m sure we’ll have 100 percent clarity later today [Monday].”
Erasmus added even though Etzebeth was not going to be considered for the Romanian game, they would have expected him top train at 100 percent capacity with a view to the crucial pool match against Ireland in Paris on September 23.
“It is still a long way, if we get out of our pool – four weeks to the quarterfinal,” the SARU boss said.
“You can get a lot of conditioning, corrective training and cohesion in that time.
“It will still be a blow not to have him train for seven to 10 days.
“Take that with the caveat that Eben very seldom goes off the field.
“When we get the result of the scans we’ll make the call.
“We can’t have a guy not training.
“Watt bikes and rowing machines are good, but that is not running and tackling.
“If he is not 100 percent [fit] in the next seven to 10 days, we’ll have to have a rethink.”
Erasmus said he is comfortable with the quality of the back-up locks – with Snyman as the regular understudy in the second row, while Jean Kleyn and Marvin Orie are the other locks in South Africa’s squad that can call line-outs.
“They have great skills they can bring on attack and defence,” he said.
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