Sbu Nkosi still a Springbok prospect, says Rassie Erasmus

Springbok World Cup winner Sbu Nkosi is still a prospect for the national team, but needs to sort out his recent issues and get back on the playing field to come into consideration.

This after it was announced earlier in the week that Nkosi’s turbulent time with the Bulls had come to an end, with the union saying that they had come to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract early, making him a free agent.

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Various reports have said that the Stormers have turned down the opportunity to sign him and that he will likely look at options overseas to continue his rugby career.

Meanwhile, SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was asked about his views on the current situation at a press conference in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“Looking at his age and how well he has played for us, we just hope we can see him somewhere on the field as soon as possible to rate his play and make him a contender (for the Boks) again,” said Erasmus.

“Hopefully he stays in South Africa. That would be fantastic. But if he plays abroad in the French Top 14 or Japan, the nice thing is we have worked with him and we can judge how he is doing there.

“I will never talk about a player’s personal life and I don’t know the ins and outs of what is going on there.”

Mental health issues

After going missing this past December before being tracked down to his father’s house in Emalahleni, Nkosi admitted to battles with his mental health and that he had been suffering with the pressures of being a rugby star.

Erasmus was candid in admitting that there were a number of players battling with these issues and that SA Rugby would help where they could.

“We have worked with these guys (Bok squad members) since 2018 and in that time you get to know that there are a lot of people struggling with certain things, and I am not referring to Sbu specifically now,” explained Erasmus.

“Some of these struggles are known and some aren’t. Some of the players are handling themselves, some we are a little bit involved in and for some there is professional help for them.

“When we talk about players we must talk about them as people first.

“So, I don’t have any insights into that (Nkosi’s struggles). But I just want to see him back on the field and I hope he’s okay. Wherever we can assist, if there’s something on or off the field, or getting a contract, if he comes to SA Rugby we will certainly try and support him.”