LATEST: Major blow for Springboks, Frans Steyn

Note: *This is an updated article on Frans Steyn

It was recently confirmed that Springbok veteran Frans Steyn had gone under the knife for a knee arthroscopy, although it was initially unclear exactly how long he would need for the recovery process.

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However, it has now been revealed that he will be sidelined for at least two to three months. This means he could still be available before the start of the Springboks’ season, which begins with the Rugby Championship in July, but it will be a big call to select Steyn considering he is unlikely to play any rugby before then.

“Frans had a scope on his knee and the prognosis was worse than the doctor initially thought,” Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie commented. “It will be a substantial period on the sidelines. Our medical team believes it will be for most of the Currie Cup anyway.

“It’s a bit of a blow to his hopes, he really wanted to go for the World Cup,” Fourie added. “He’s worked really hard since the start of the year after his previous injury, [and] dropped quite a bit of weight. It’s a big setback for him, hopefully he’ll recover soon and maybe there’s still a bit of a door open for him, but we don’t have contact with the Bok coaches currently.

“We’ll see how it goes, but he needs to recover and get on the field again first.

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The two-time World Cup winner will turn 36 in mid-May, but was hoping to head to another global showpiece as a key member of the Boks’ back division. However, these plans could now be derailed as both Steyn and the Springbok coaches face an anxious wait to see if he regains enough form and fitness to be truly considered for selection.

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Steyn is in a race against time

Even if the Springbok stalwart is able to make it back in time for the World Cup, it would certainly still create a selection headache for him to get enough game-time during a Rugby Championship that has been shortened to just three matches.

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Soon after that tournament comes to an end, the Springbok coaches are expected to let the team know which players are part of the 33-man squad heading to the World Cup.

Steyn’s experience and versatility was always expected to keep him in the mix, but the emergence of breakthrough stars such as Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse have added real competition to the spots available among so-called ‘utility backs’.

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SPRINGBOKS’ 2023 FIXTURES

Rugby Championship

8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

✈ 15 July: South Africa vs New Zealand (Mount Smart, Auckland)

29 July: Springboks vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

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World Cup warm-ups

✈ 5 August: South Africa vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)

✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

✈ 25 August: Springbok vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)

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Rugby World Cup

✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille) 

✈ 17 September: Springbok vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux) 

✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris) 

✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)

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Quarter-finals sequence of play is as follows:QF 1 — Winner Pool C vs Runner up Pool D
QF 2 — Winner Pool B vs Runner up Pool A
QF 3 — Winner Pool D vs Runner up Pool C
QF 4 — Winner Pool A vs Runner up Pool B

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Semi-finals sequence of play is as follows:
SF 1 — Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF 2 — Winner QF3 v Winner QF4

Third place playoff:
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2

World Cup final:
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2

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