Rassie Erasmus: Springboks 'desperate' for top-quality game time but hurdles remain

There remain a number of hurdles before South Africa will commit to play in the Rugby Championship

Rassie Erasmus

World champions South Africa are “desperate” to play in the Rugby Championship this year, but there remain a number of hurdles before they will commit to the competition, according to director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.

The Southern Hemisphere competition will be staged in Australia from November 7 to December 12, but the defending champion Springboks face being woefully under-prepared, which Erasmus believes could make participation dangerous for the players.

“We desperately want to play, it will be terrible to go a year without the Springboks playing,” Erasmus said in a virtual news conference on Monday. “But we have had one of the toughest lockdowns in the world and our players were indoors for months. In other countries players could train or at least go to the park to exercise, we did not have that.

“So if you look at the science, we have to get five or six matches into the players for their own welfare and to make it safe for them, and we are working out how to do that. Players probably need 500 minutes (of game-time) to be safe.” 

South Africa’s domestic competition will only start on October 10 with players having been largely inactive since March.

Erasmus reveals the Boks are also facing resistance from English clubs over the release of players in time for the start of the Rugby Championship. “We would want to arrive in Australia at the same time, as you have to quarantine for two weeks, which is why you need to take a massive squad because if you get injuries, you can’t just bring someone new in,” he said.

Erasmus confirmed that from a team management point of view, they would want to confirm participation by Oct. 10 at the latest. “We want to go, we know we have to go (from a financial point of view), we are just working out how we make it possible to go,” he added.

Indeed, Erasmus is continuing to work remotely due to health concerns. In 2019, Erasmus was diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis with granulomatosis, but kept his illness private in the lead up to and during the World Cup campaign in Japan. 

A statement from SA Rugby reads: “Media are advised that due to a pre-existing health condition, Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, will continue to work remotely to minimise his risk during the pandemic and will therefore not be with Team Green during the build-up to the Castle Lager Springbok Showdown, nor at the match on Saturday. Erasmus was diagnosed in 2018 with a rare condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels including in the throat and lungs, which increases vulnerability to the impact of a potential COVID-19 infection. The condition is managed but until all risk is eliminated, Erasmus will continue to work remotely.”