Fly-half Handré Pollard, hooker Joseph Dweba and center Lukhanyo Am are among “the options” to join the South African squad after hooker Malcolm Marx withdrew due to injury for the rest of the 2023 World Cup, explained Saturday. Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick.
“We haven’t made a decision. Perhaps a formalization will come after the match against Romania,” scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Bordeaux, Stick explained at a press conference. He was questioned by the press about replacing hooker Malcolm Marx (64 caps), who suffered a knee injury.
According to Stick, the technical staff of the reigning world champions are considering “three or four options”, including fly-half Handré Pollard, 29 years old (65 caps), key element of the 2019 campaign and excluded from the selection after an injury in May in the English championship.
“Handré Pollard is one of the players” followed, “we watched him play 30 minutes yesterday (Friday with Leicester, editor’s note), unfortunately he took a yellow card but we looked closely at his minutes of play”.
Center Lukhanyo Am (29 years old, 35 selections), also 2019 world champion, and hooker Joseph Dweba (27 years old, 6 selections) complete the options. Am is “one or two weeks away from being 100% fit,” said the assistant coach of the world champions.
Still according to Stick, second row Eben Etzebeth, injured in a shoulder during South Africa’s victorious entry against Scotland (18-3), should be restored within “four or five days » and therefore perhaps fit for the clash against Ireland on September 23 at the Stade de France.
