Springbok fetcher Heinrich Brüssow will, barring injury, play in the Test against France on November 13 after all.
That is the result of the finger injured by Pierre Spies on Monday which will see him miss the Springboks’ end of year tour of Europe.
Jean Deysel of the Sharks has been called up to the squad and Brüssow has been replaced by the big flanker in the squad to play Leicester Tigers on Friday night at the opening of the Premiership champions’s new stand.
Brüssow has now been ordered to stay behind and train with the other 14 Boks who will only leave South Africa next Tuesday and will fly direct to France for the Test.
From within the Springbok players’ camp this team is seen as the Test side.
The side playing Leicester leaves for Heathrow on Tuesday evening.
The Spies injury sees uncapped Dewald Potgieter move from No. 7 flank to No 6. with Griquas’s surprise inclusion in the team, Davon Raubenheimer, moving from the bench to the starting line-up as the other flank.
Deysel, who joined the Springboks on Tuesday morning after being called up on Monday night, takes Raubenheimer’s place on the bench.
”Losing Pierre is a blow for us and a disappointment for him but we are fortunate to have strong back-up players in the squad who are familiar with how we want to play,” said Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
”I am also confident that the change will not disrupt our preparations for the important tour opener on Friday,” he said.
”I don’t mind moving to No. 6,” said Potgieter, impressive throughout the season and also as a captain of the Emerging Boks when they fight back so magnificently to draw with the British and Irish Lions at Newlands.
”The decision to move me to No. 6 was probably made because I play to the ball a little more than Davon and because the coaching staff obviously expect it to be a tight match against Leicester.”
Potgieter points out this was his position for the Emerging Boks against the Lions and also in the Currie Cup when the Blue Bulls fetcher Deon Stegmann was injured.
He also filled in for Spies at No. 8 when the big man was injured in the Blue Bulls’ Currie Cup campaign.
Potgieter does not foresee the side struggling to gel. ”We’ll have four days of training together — the same we had for the Emerging Boks.
”We play a simple game plan which is easy to slot into. Also, most South African sides play very much to the same game plan, so I don’t foresee any problems in that respect.”
While admitting that it has been a long season, Potgieter said the Bulls and Blue Bulls’ successes in the Super 14 and Currie Cup ensured a continuing enthusiasm.
”And this tour is a further injection,” he added. ”I really look forward to it.” — Sapa