/ 6 July 1999

ERASMUS DOWN WITH RIB INJURY

SOUTH African rugby was on Sunday rocked by the news that star flanker Johan Erasmus would have to sit out Saturday’s Test against New Zealand at Carisbrook in Dunedin with a rib injury. News of Erasmus’ withdrawal came at an eventful training session in which two other top players — lock Krynauw Otto and utility frontranker Ollie le Roux — also produced injury scares. Otto was stitched up after an accidental clash of heads left him with a gash above his left ear, while Le Roux was struggling with a pulled muscle in in his lower leg. To cap it all, four players — Breyton Paulse, Selborne Boome, Deon Kayser and Kaya Malotana — arrived approximately 25 minutes late for training at a rugby field near the team hotel after oversleeping.