Could Springboks have to call up another player?

During the early stages of the Rugby World Cup, the Springboks suffered a major blow when Malcolm Marx was ruled out of the tournament due to a serious knee injury.

Interestingly, he was replaced by Handre Pollard rather than another hooker, and it’s clear that the Springboks are willing to think outside of the box when it comes to calling up players when the need arises.

ALSO READ: Springbok veteran to be ruled out of World Cup?

After Sunday’s win over Tonga, the Springboks have now confirmed that Makazole Mapimpi has a fractured cheekbone, and will go for scans. However, there is a very real possibility that he will have to be replaced in the squad if he has suffered a fracture.

Should this unfortunate scenario play out, it’s worth remembering that the Springboks don’t have a wing among the ‘standby’ players, and will probably feel they have enough cover in that position.

An assessment could be made to determine how far Lukhanyo Am is away from being fully recovered from a knee injury, while Lood de Jager could be another option if deemed healthy enough.

PLAYER RATINGS: Pollard perfect for Springboks, but who flopped?

That’s incredibly unfortunate for Mapimpi. Looked very swollen at the time. https://t.co/fKUlz6MBJg pic.twitter.com/LNsGCDo4oc

— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) October 1, 2023

HERE IS A REMINDER OF THE PLAYERS ON THE SPRINGBOKS’ STANDBY LIST:

• Lukhanyo Am (centre)
• Lood de Jager (lock)
• Jean-Luc du Preez (utility forward)
• Thomas du Toit (prop)
• Joseph Dweba (hooker)
• Herschel Jantjies (scrumhalf)
• Evan Roos (No 8)
• Gerhard Steenekamp (prop)

BOKS LOOK SET FOR QUARTER-FINAL QUALIFICATION

The Springboks – who beat Tonga by 49-18 – currently lead Pool B with 15 points, although they’ve played one more match than Ireland (in second place with 14 points) and Scotland (in third place with 10 points), with those teams yet to face one another in their final pool match on Saturday, 7 October.

All three teams are still in the quarter-final race, with one set to drop out of the competition at the conclusion of the pool stages.

“The key for us was to win first and then get the bonus point and we managed to get that early in the second half, then we chased points as much as we could,” said coach Jacques Nienaber.

“As things stand now, one of South Africa, Ireland and Scotland will miss out on the quarter-final, but all three can still make it. The pool will only be decided on Saturday.”

ALSO READ: Revenge? Springboks could meet Ireland in World Cup final