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Springboks awaiting news on Whiteley injury

By Peter Thompson
South Africa captain Warren Whiteley

South Africa captain Warren Whiteley is set to discover on Monday how long he will be sidelined after suffering a torn groin that kept him out of Saturday’s 35-12 drubbing of France.

Eben Etzebeth led the Springboks to a resounding victory over Les Bleus at Ellis Park which sealed a 3-0 series whitewash in the absence of Whiteley, who was ruled out on the day of the game.

Lions number eight Whiteley was sent for a scan, but must now wait to learn the extent of the damage just two months before the Rugby Championship gets under way.

“Warren has been struggling with a bit of a groin strain for a while. We decided to give him as much time as possible to be declared fit, but then he landed awkwardly in a line-out session,” said South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee.

“We sent him for a scan and did a little sonar that revealed that has a little tear. We didn’t want to risk him. Sometimes you use a medical team to patch up a player and make it possible for him to get through a game, but we decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

“The team consists of 31 players and the whole week Warren did not train with the team, so it wasn’t a big disruption for us.

“I was proud of the way the team coped under pressure. Eben was vice-captain so everyone knew who would take over when Warren is out. We don’t know at this stage how serious the injury to Warren is.

“He will be assessed on Monday and a decision will be taken together with the medical team of the Lions.”

Etzebeth was among the four try-scorers in another encouraging display from the Springboks and the towering lock thrived on the opportunity to lead his country for the first time.

“Welcome to the best day of my life,” he said.

“The last 24 hours have been unbelievable and very exciting for me. Warren was outstanding in the last few weeks, so it was difficult taking over from him, but I had leaders like Siya [Kolisi] and Beast [Tendai Mtawarira] backing me. Everyone is a captain in his own position, so it was easy for me to take over.

“There has been great preparation this year and that has built up a feeling of brotherhood in the team. I would say that the last three weeks have been the best three weeks with the Springboks for me.”

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Bull Shark 2 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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