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Mystery around Franco Mostert deepens after botched Springbok Tweet deleted
The mystery surrounding the status of Springbok lock Franco Mostert deepened on Sunday – reports Jan de Koning for Rugby365.
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Mostert is the most obvious name missing from the preliminary 20-man Springbok training squad for the forthcoming year-end tour to the United Kingdom and France that was announced on Sunday.
The 27-year-old lock – at the centre of a tug-of-war between the Johannesburg-based Lions and English Premiership club Gloucester – was listed in the initial social media dispatches from the Springboks.
However, by the time the official media release was distributed, the 26-times capped second row forward was no longer part of the training squad.
The initial social media posts were also subsequently deleted from the Boks’ official channels.
Enquiries about the appearance and subsequent absence of Mostert’s name was met with a reference to the email version of the media release – the ‘latest confirmed group to attend the training camp’.
rugby365.com was told by an informed source close to the Bok camp that they now regard Mostert as a ‘UK-based player’.
According to the official media release overseas-based players and those involved in the Currie Cup Final were not considered for the Stellenbosch camp.
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It is an intriguing twist which gives the appearance that the Bok management may be leaning towards the Gloucester version of the dispute. Gloucester’s South African coach Johan Ackermann recently told a media briefing that he expects Mostert to arrive in Gloucester on November 1.
This followed a statement by Golden Lions Company CEO Rudolf Straeuli that they are standing firm on their view that Mostert’s contract with Gloucester is illegal.
Straeuli did not respond to requests from rugby365.com on Sunday for comment on the latest developments.
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Mostert trained with the Golden Lions last week, but was not named in the team for the Currie Cup semifinal. The official line was that Mostert and Bok hooker Malcolm Marx were being ‘rested’.
However, the contradicting dispatches from the Bok camp seem to suggest there are serious undercurrents and behind the scenes developments.
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments