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'It is freakish... it's terrible' - RWC finalist duo out for months

By Online Editors
(Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Stormers coach John Dobson has lamented the “traumatic” injuries suffered by his Springbok World Cup final stars this Super Rugby season that will also play on the mind of new national team coach Jacques Nienaber.

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The Stormers were early-season front-runners in Super Rugby before back-to-back losses halted their progress, and they are currently training in isolation in Cape Town with the competition on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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The good news is that Bok captain Siya Kolisi is on the mend and four weeks away from fitness after he was injured in the season-opening win over the Hurricanes, but there is little other reason for cheer.

The latest injuries are to halfback Herschel Jantjies(fractured fibula) and prop Steven Kitshoff (pectoral muscle), who are expected to be out for three and four months respectively.

“We had six guys who played in the World Cup and five are now out with long-term injuries. These are all deeply traumatic injuries, nothin g to do with load. It is something you can’t explain,” Dobson said.

“It is freakish, because it is not a conditioning issue. You saw Siya’s tackle, how Bongi’s (Mbonambi) leg got bent back at a ruck, Herschel fractures a fibula … it’s terrible.”

Dobson also revealed that lock and World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit is expected to be out for three months after he picked up a hematoma that developed into acute compartment syndrome and put him at risk of losing his leg following the loss to the Auckland Blues last month.

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“We are not the Stormers we were at the start of the season,” he said.

“Take five World Cup finalists out of any team and it is a struggle. But we have got depth and have shown character.”

The world champion Boks are scheduled to face Scotland in two tests in July, as well as a one-off game against Georgia, though a final decision on those matches will be made next month.

The coronavirus outbreak has shut down sport around the world, with top competitions called off as governments ban mass gatherings and tighten border controls as part of efforts to contain the virus, which has killed more than 9,000 people.

– AAP

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Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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