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Springboks call up Grant Williams after season ending injury for Hendrikse

By Kim Ekin
Grant Williams /Getty

Sharks scrumhalf Grant Williams will join the Springbok squad in Nelson Mandela Bay today (Monday) as Rugby Championship cover following the withdrawal of Jaden Hendrikse due to a leg fracture.

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Scrumhalves Faf de Klerk, Herschel Jantjies and now Hendrikse have all been injured, while the Springboks’ back row has also taken a pounding. Marco van Staden (knock), Duane Vermeulen (ankle), Pieter-Steph du Toit (shoulder), Rynhardt Elstadt (knee) and even fellow call-up Jean-Luc du Preez (ankle) are all currently battling injury.

A statement from SA Rugby reads: “Hendrikse was stretchered off the field after seven minutes of action off the replacements bench following a tackle in the team’s 29-10 victory against Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, and has been ruled out of the remainder of the competition.

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“Williams, who has made a strong statement on the field for the Cell C Sharks, joins Faf de Klerk, Herschel Jantjies and Cobus Reinach as the scrumhalves in the squad.”

De Klerk and Jantjies were both on the injury list in the last two weeks but are on track with their recovery from a leg strain and hip pointer niggle respectively and will be available for selection for the Tests against Australia and New Zealand.

“It is sad to lose a player like Jaden who was really beginning to find his feet in the system and starting to make his mark in Test rugby, but unfortunately injuries are part of the game,” said Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber.

“We are lucky to have a handful of talented scrumhalves in the country, and as coaches we have been impressed with Grant’s form this season.

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“He will certainly benefit from being in the squad and being exposed to our structures and systems, and we are looking forward to seeing what he has to offer.”

The Springboks, who will enjoy some time off for the next few days to freshen up mentally and physically following a jam-packed schedule in the last two-and-a-half months, will remain in Nelson Mandela Bay until SANZAAR announces where the remaining Rugby Championship fixtures will be hosted.

SA Rugby have offered to host the remainder of the tournament.

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 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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