ICYMI: Former Bok fears for safety of Elephants players

There should be a definite and serious concern about the safety of Eastern Province’s props after their injury-ridden Preparation Series match against the Lions in Port Elizabeth last Wednesday.

Former Springbok prop Robbi Kempson said their lack of a professional environment could put them under great injury risk in the matches to come.

“I think there should be genuine concerns about the safety of the players and especially the props in such a high contact situation like the scrums,” Kempson said.

“It was obvious to see for everyone who watched the match.”

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After lock Arnold Kleyn was red-carded for a dangerous tackle on Lions centre Manny Rass in the second minute, the Elephants scrum disintegrated and was under immense pressure.

It resulted in loosehead Siya Nzuzo being carried off the field on a stretcher halfway through the first half with a possible neck injury.

“I just hope Siya is fine, but it was a direct result of the pressure in the scrum which they couldn’t handle,” Kempson said.

Kempson also believed it was an indication of the lack of proper conditioning among the EP players.

“It was a contest between a group of professional payers, which were the Lions, and amateurs without proper financial backing and infrastructure, which created the dilemma,” he said.

Former Bok prop Robbi Kempson. Picture: Gallo Images

Kempson felt referee AJ Jacobs was caught in the middle and placed in a tough situation to ensure the safety of the players, and he couldn’t call uncontested scrums.

“The protocol from World Rugby is that you can’t call uncontested scrums when you have two fit props on the bench,” he said.

“The problem, however, is that if you lose one of your starting props due to injury or through a yellow card, you bring somebody from the bench who is probably of an even weaker standard.”

While it had been suggested in some areas that players from bigger unions could be sent to EP on loan, Kempson pointed out some practical implications.

“Even if these players are sent on loan to EP they need to be paid and that creates a problem for EP,” he said.

“No big union wants to lose R20 000 or R30 000 without getting anything back, and apart from that there are other issues like pension fund and medical aid, which EP probably won’t be able to take care of financially.

“It’s a big problem and I honestly don’t know how they will be able to solve it.”

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