Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has reportedly been forced into a late change ahead of his side's pivotal second Test against the All Blacks, with fly-half Handre Pollard now set to miss the game through injury.
Pollard had been chosen to return to the No.10 jersey for the showdown in Cape Town, with Erasmus and his coaching team turning to the veteran back for his experience and big match temperament. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had dropped to the bench after starting last week's 33-16 defeat to New Zealand at Ellis Park.
However, Pollard is now a major doubt for the second Test, with South African outlet Netwerk24 reporting that the 32-year-old is struggling with a calf injury that is set to keep him out of Saturday's match.
Manie Libbok set to start
It has also been reported that Manie Libbok will come straight into the starting XV to replace him, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeping his place on the bench as an impact replacement.
Pollard - whose last appearance for the Springboks came against Argentina last month - has struggled with injury this season, with a hamstring problem sidelining him ahead of his side's Nations Championship clash with Wales.
Addressing his selection of Pollard earlier this week, Erasmus told reporters that the Bulls star's ability to deliver under “extreme pressure” had seen him get the nod.
“Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure,” he said. “We feel that what he and Cobus [Reinach] have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne [van den Berg] and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play, will be good for us this weekend.”
Springboks star expects All Black improvement
Springboks prop Thomas du Toit is expecting New Zealand's scrum to bounce back after struggling against South Africa last week.
Erasmus has brought du Toit onto the bench, with New Zealand's scrum having a little more joy against the Springboks' finishers. However, the Bath man knows that replicating last week's early success at the scrum won't be so easy.
“It [the scrum battle] is going to be interesting, like every other week,” said Du Toit. “We trained hard this week, and I’m sure the All Blacks have too, and everyone will try to bring their A-game on Saturday.
“Look at the Lions game (against the All Blacks) you could definitely see they’ve been working on it and it’s going well for them, so we’ll do our best, but it’s something both teams pride themselves on.”
He added: “Unfortunately, in this game you can’t only have one aspect of the game firing right for you. You need to have multiple firing at the right time and for the right amount of time in the game.
“The scrums always stay close to my heart, so yes, I’m obviously going to say that it would be great to have scrum dominance throughout the game.
“But in reality, you need every aspect to fire – your kicking game and your attack, your defence, your entries into the 22 and getting over the whitewash. Those are important things.”
Rugby boss attacked outside restaurant
Bordeaux head coach Yannick Bru was allegedly attacked in France on Wednesday evening, with two individuals reportedly stealing a Rolex watch worth around 40,000 euros.
Le Figaro reports that the former France international was attacked while on a poorly-lit street after leaving a restaurant in Bordeaux.
According to the report, Bru had tried to chase the two assailants but was unsuccessful due to the fact he was wearing flip-flops. He reportedly injured his thigh attempting to chase them.
“Nothing serious physically, but a very valuable watch was stolen...”, the Bordeaux boss told AFP on Thursday.
Ireland star out for months
Ireland and Munster fly-half Jack Crowley is expected to be sidelined until early 2027 as he recovers from a “lower limb vascular injury”.
The 26-year-old will miss Ireland's autumn Tests against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa, as well as the start of Munster's URC season. It's a blow for both club and country, with Crowley having impressed during this year's Six Nations.
“Jack Crowley is a very important player for Munster and Ireland with a big future in the game and ensuring he gets back to 100% is the priority,” said Munster head coach Clayton McMillan.
“We have a good mix of experience and youth available in the out-half position with JJ Hanrahan and academy men Tom Wood and Charlie O'Shea. JJ has played 160 games for Munster and is our third-highest points-scorer of all-time so he is a player we know we can count on.
“Tom Wood and Charlie O'Shea are very exciting young players who have come up through the Munster pathway and excelled with the Ireland U20s last season.”
Munster are also waiting on Edwin Edogbo, Tom Farrell and Calvin Nash to recover from surgeries over the summer, while new signing Marnus van der Merwe - having joined from the Scarlets - is starting to reintegrate to team training following a calf injury.
