Springboks No9 de Klerk reveals Covid battle: 'I'd very severe pains and fever... the body didn't react well'
World Cup winner Faf de Klerk has revealed for the first time how badly he was struck down by Covid-19 in October as one of numerous Sale Sharks players who tested positive for the virus. The major outbreak, which ultimately affected 27 players and staff, saw Sale unable to finish out their Gallagher Premiership campaign, which looked certain to earn them a play-off place.
Their final game with Worcester could not be played and instead of battling for the title, livewire scrum-half de Klerk found himself in isolation and fighting the virus.
De Klerk told RugbyPass: “I had very severe body pains and fever for about three to four days and once that broke I felt okay. I didn’t have any loss of taste or smell but then after that trying to get into training, the body didn’t react well for the first few weeks.
“But the second day of pre-season training at Sale, the body felt great with so much more energy and I realised that it had taken me a while to get over it and regain that energy. It took a few weeks to get it completely out of the system and I’m now firing.
“It has been tough, especially when I had the virus and was completely isolated for two weeks. The first week I was pretty poorly and then it became frustrating not being able to do anything in the second. Luckily we are now back training. That does make it easier and when you get home you just want to relax. There are people in a much worse position than I am and I always think about that and I try and see the positives.”
Six weeks after Sale's season was abruptly ended off the field, Steve Diamond says: "Quite rightly we were cleared by the RFU"https://t.co/dvM2T57syd
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 17, 2020
De Klerk believes the fact so many other teammates at Sale had also tested positive helped in terms of sharing experiences and keeping each other motivated during a situation that Steve Diamond revealed on Tuesday his players were cleared of blame for by the RFU. “With everybody going through that you could ask around and get a sense of how they are doing.
“It does help because you don’t feel like you are on your own struggling. The boys who didn’t contract it were asking if they could help out delivering stuff to us. That was really good to see the group standing up for each other. It’s a bit of blessing going forward that most of the group has had it and, hopefully, that is a good sign that we may not get it again.”
Eleven months before he became ill with the virus, de Klerk was deep in conversation with Prince Harry wearing only a baseball hat, South African flag budgie smugglers and a World Cup winners’ medal around his neck. It became one of the iconic pictures of the Springboks post-match dressing room celebrations after their 32-12 World Cup final win over England in Yokohama.
However, instead of signalling the start of a memorable period of playing success, the world champions have not played since November 2 last year thanks to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. De Klerk, who will be taking on Northampton in the opening Premiership match of the 2020/21 season on Friday night, was supposed to be part of a large Sale contingent helping the Springboks compete in the Rugby Championship in Australia.
However, the world champions withdrew due to a lack of preparation time and they could go into the three-Test series with the British and Irish Lions next July very short of match practice. Is de Klerk concerned about the lack of Test match activity? “We are all very keen to get back with the Springboks and see if we can continue at that level. It is strange and who would have thought we would not have played again by now.
“We are talking a lot with the coaches and conditioners and it makes you feel part of things and gives you the confidence to keep working hard. I’m sure they will figure some things out (before the Lions) and they are doing all the preparation work.
“We won’t go into the Lions series unprepared. We will never go into a Test not being ready to win that game and I’m very confident in the management and they will make sure we will be prepared properly.
“Not being able to finish the Premiership season with Sale was frustrating and disappointing. We really wanted to get into the playoffs and then anything can happen. It will linger with us for a bit but now the challenge is to be better than we were last season because there were some slip-ups. If we play the way we can we can beat any side in the Premiership.”
Cover incoming for de Jager, with another back row also lined uphttps://t.co/gyGFuyJHhj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 17, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments