The Springbok coaching staff are anxiously awaiting injury updates on talismanic wing Bryan Habana and World Cup outside centre Jesse Kriel, both of whom did not train with the squad yesterday in Durban ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against New Zealand.
The Boks have already lost scrumhalf Rudy Paige to concussion and while the Bulls’ Piet van Zyl has been called up to the squad, it is likely that Faf de Klerk will be recalled to the starting line-up, with Francois Hougaard continuing to double as a wing that can cover scrumhalf in an emergency, as was the case at Loftus Versfeld last week.
Habana and Kriel have thigh complaints and of the two, Habana looks a better bet to recover sufficiently to start. He at least ran yesterday at training, albeit on his own, but Kriel was on the sidelines.
Habana is an inspirational figure in the Bok squad and has a good record against the All Blacks. In 25 Tests against the Old Enemy he has been on the winning side on eight occasions and has scored eight tries in those encounters.
If he cannot play, it will also present the coaching staff with a wing conundrum that is complicated by the unavailability of local lad Lwazi Mvovo, who last week underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Backline coach Mzwandile Stick said it was a situation of concern.
““The unavailability of Lwazi could be a problem for us,” he said. “It means that if Bryan can’t play we might have to select Willie le Roux on the wing, or possibly Lionel Mapoe.”
Both would be out of position and while Le Roux played four Rugby Championship matches on the right wing in 2013, he did not always look comfortable.
As far as the midfield is concerned, Stick has decent options in that Damian de Allende, who has been recalled to the squad after Currie Cup duty for Western Province, can slot in at his customary inside centre position and Juan de Jongh could shift to 13, where he is equally at home.
Independent Media