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The Springboks update on the operation-bound Steven Kitshoff

South Africa's Steven Kitshoff after the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final win over France (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

South Africa team doctor Jerome Mampane has provided an update on the injured Springboks pair Steven Kitshoff and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Kitshoff has been out of action for the last couple of months after he sustained a neck ligament injury while playing for Western Province in a Currie Cup match against Griquas.

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Last weekend, in an interview with News24, Kitshoff revealed that he had “fusion (surgery) booked for November 20”. There has been speculation that the 32-year-old’s career could be over, but Mampane said a lot needs to happen before an official announcement is made on Kitshoff’s future.

“In terms of whatever announcement that needs to be made we should, hopefully, in the next month or two get some sort of clarity as to what his position is. As I understand from his good friend, he is doing quite a lot of travelling at the moment, so it sounds like he is in good spirits. I don’t know, physicality, if it’s also translating.”

Video Spacer

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach previews the face-off against England

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach previews the face-off against England

Video Spacer

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach previews the face-off against England

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach previews the face-off against England

There was a more positive update on Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has been out of action with a knee injury. His last outing was against the All Blacks in Cape Town in September. “From what I have seen from Sacha and the conversations that I have had, it seems he is on the road to mending well,” said Mampane.

Meanwhile, Mampane believes the Springboks are on track to field a fresh pack against England next Saturday despite the six-day turnaround after their 32-15 win over Scotland last Sunday. The Springboks employed a seven/one split between forwards and backs on the bench for the Murrayfield clash to help them achieve that goal.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

0
Wins
4
5
Streak
3
12
Tries Scored
20
-24
Points Difference
72
2/5
First Try
4/5
3/5
First Points
3/5
2/5
Race To 10 Points
4/5

“We came out of that one pretty much unscathed and the theme in the planning was a lot of freshness,” Mampane explained. “The freshness of players and the freshness around the seven-one split. That is what the coaches planned together as a group and we have achieved that.

“I wouldn’t say training is a little lighter. There are still targets that need to be met and the coaches are as focused as ever. I just think what we required medically and scientifically, was good fresh players. You want to make sure you go into each contest as best as you can and in the best shape.

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“If you look at the year we have had with the number of injuries, it’s great to see players like Franco Mostert returning. We are in a good space.”

Related

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)

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Comments

2 Comments
B
Bull Shark 7 days ago

Sad day if Kitschie’s career ends so suddenly. But a fusion after a neck injury doesn’t sound good.


Get well soon champ.

J
JK 5 days ago

Neck fusion on a prop....ahhh bad I think

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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