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Prop-lems for Springboks in lead up to Pumas clash

Frans Malherbe /Getty

South Africa have suffered a blow with the news that prop Frans Malherbe is likely to miss the start of their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina at the weekend due to a neck injury.

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The Springboks were thought to be already resigned to losing front-row Ruan Dreyer, who had been reportedly released to be with his family as he is expecting to become a father this week, but the team announced on Monday that Dreyer would take Malherbe’s place.

Coenie Oosthuizen and Trevor Nyakane are also in line to take a starting berth for the tournament opener in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The Pumas are traditionally fearsome when it comes to scrum time, meaning the absence of Malherbe is a genuine concern for head coach Allister Coetzee.

“Frans started complaining of neck pain on Thursday and over the weekend it started radiating down his arm, so we are concerned for a disc injury,” said Boks team doctor Konrad von Hagen.

“So we will have a scan done later today and after that we will know about his availability for the game.

“The scan will tell me, and I need to know is it a disc injury or a facet joint. If it is a facet join it will get better quickly whereas a disc will take longer.

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“At the end of the scan I will know what the prognosis will be and if we need to get a specialist involvement we will and we will then decide what the plan is for him in terms of the long-term.”

Flankers Jaco Kriel (flu) and Siya Kolisi (ankle) are both back in contention, while the Springboks are waiting to see how scrum-half Ross Cronje recovers from a rib injury.

Hooker Malcolm Marx (shoulder) is back to full health, while number 10 Handre Pollard (ankle) and captain Warren Whiteley (abdominal) continue their rehabilitation from longer-term issues.

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Tom 8 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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