URC teams to get big Springbok boost

With the Springboks in action again only in November it’ll be interesting to see who runs out for their respective United Rugby Championship teams from this weekend and over the next month.

Or, will the majority of them be required to rest up for the trip up north in November when the world champions will take on Scotland, England and Wales?

Already last weekend, when the four South African teams got their URC campaigns under way did three Bok players turn out for their franchises, namely Ben-Jason Dixon for the Stormers, and Canan Moodie and Johan Grobbelaar for the Bulls.

If all the Bok players who featured in the Rugby Championship are given the green light to play from this weekend then it will be the Sharks who will benefit the most as they had 10 players involved in the Rugby Championship.

Sharks and Stormers

And what a boost it would be for John Plumtree and his men, who lost first up in the URC last weekend, against Connacht, and take on the Dragons this weekend.

Forwards Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Jaden Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Lukhanyo Am, Aphelele Fassi and Makazole Mapimpi should all now become available for selection.

The Stormers, too, who lost their first match to the Ospreys last weekend, could also do with a boost.
Fit-again Damian Willemse returned to action last week and he’s to be joined shortly by Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat and Manie Libbok.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, however, is unlikely to play again soon after undergoing surgery on a troublesome knee.

Bulls and Lions

Besides Moodie and Grobbelaar who were already back with the Bulls last week, Gerhard Steenekamp, Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Willie le Roux will now also come into the selection mix.

The Bulls won at Loftus in their first URC game of the new season last weekend against Edinburgh and are up against Ulster on Saturday.

The Lions’ current Boks include Morne van den Berg, Quan Horn and Ruan Venter, while Edwill van der Merwe, who impressed on his debut against Wales at Twickenham, is still injured.

The Bok players who turn out for overseas teams in Europe will almost certainly be called into action this weekend and they include Thomas du Toit (Bath), Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (Montpellier), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) and Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers).

The Japan-based Boks, namely Malcolm Marx, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Pieter-Step du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe, will however have time off until the national team get ready for their trip up north because the Top League in Japan only gets under way again in December.

Franco Mostert, Faf de Klerk and Steven Kitshoff are currently injured, while previously injured Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman are expected to play again this weekend.