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Springboks' verdict on their two uncapped wingers facing Georgia
New Springboks boss Jacques Nienaber is optimistic his rookie Test wingers Rosko Specman and Aphelele Fassi will impress when they make their debuts on Friday night in Pretoria against Georgia. The pair are the only two new caps in the starting XV for South Africa’s first match since their November 2019 World Cup final win, but only one was apparently in the original line-up to face the Georgians.
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Nienaber explained that it was last Saturday when he and Rassie Erasmus has privately selected the Springboks team but that choice was affected the following day by the virus outbreak in their camp and the necessary close contact measures which opened the door for Fassi, the 23-year-old Sharks back, to earn his first selection along with Specman, the 32-year-old from the Cheetahs.
Wing Sbu Nkosi, prop Vincent Koch and scrum-half Herschel Jantjies all tested positive with winger Makazole Mapimpi and midfielder Lukhanyo Am identified as close contacts. Explaining the knock-on consequences for the Springboks XV, Nienaber said: “We picked the side but didn’t announce the team on Saturday evening going into Sunday and then we had the Covid issues within our camp.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail and into every little specific but we want to be as transparent as possible and the only two guys that really got influenced by that was Mapimpi and Am. We selected the team on Saturday but then the Covid cases came out on Sunday and they were close contacts so they went into isolation and that is how guys like Aphelele Fassi and Jesse Kriel got into the mix.
“He [Fassi] trained with us in the preparation in the conditioning weeks at wing. He is a very talented player, he has got a massive skill set and I know that he plays for his franchise at 15 predominately but he slotted in at wing beautifully and with the guidance of a guy like Willie (le Roux), Jesse and Lukhanyo there was good guidance so he slotted in nicely.
The challenge ahead of the 10s on either side of the Lions and Springboks' squads is vastly different, writes @bensmithrugby #LionsRugby #Springboks https://t.co/CNQZQ3NXay
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 30, 2021
“Rosko is a livewire, brings a lot of energy, is a real funny guy off the field, has always got a smile on his face but when it comes down to the rugby side of things he is a full professional. It’s well documented how successful he was while playing sevens, part of the bronze medalist team (at the 2016 Olympics), so he has played a lot of tournaments on the big stage.
“He is a very professional guy when it comes to on the field but off the field, he is a fun guy and he makes the people laugh and he brings a lot of energy… I’m super excited for the two wings. They have really trained well in the conditioning camps in Bloemfontein and the importance of a guy like Willie and Handre Pollard and then also Jesse, a very vocal guy on the field, it’s going to be massive for them but they bring some X-factor and their own little spice to the game.”
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Lions team live reaction ?
We go live with @jimhamilton4 and @StephenFerris6 on Thursday straight after Warren Gatland picks his side in their first warm-up game in South Africa ?
Make sure you're there ?
?? https://t.co/X4ih3mlNyy pic.twitter.com/Sj3hTt8K3I
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 30, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
A lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
1 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
21 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
21 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments