Blitzboks coach Neil Powell says the team's mental and physical resolve will be severely tested this weekend in Dubai, where they will play with a reduced squad due to injuries.
Three Blitzboks and four Argentinians have been included in World Rugby’s seven-man Dream Team for the Dubai Sevens.
Former British & Irish Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan says the Springboks are too reliant on overseas-based players and that New Zealand is still the Test team to beat.
Family “tension” is one of several reasons SA Rugby and Rassie Erasmus decided not to appeal the sanctions handed down by World Rugby’s disciplinary committee.
The Blitzboks were crowned Dubai Sevens champions after beating the USA 42-7 in the Cup final on Saturday.
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship announced on Friday that this weekend’s round six matches in South Africa and next weekend’s round seven matches have been postponed due to a new Covid-19 variant.
SA Rugby and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus have officially withdrawn the appeal against the ban handed down by World Rugby and apologised to referee Nic Berry.
Damian Willemse, Marvin Orie and Salmaan Moerat are back in training with the Stormers and are all expected to be involved in Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Zebre in Cape Town.
During a SuperSport studio chat, Nick Mallett said that World Rugby was correct to hand Rassie Erasmus a ban, but lamented the length of time the independent committee took to come to a decision.
The Springboks will finish the year with a nearly two-point lead over the second-placed All Blacks in the World Rugby rankings.