Boks tour decision put on ice
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:48
South Africa's national team management will not prescribe to coaches how they must manage players in the Currie Cup competition, but a number of the country's top Springboks may still be rested from the year-end tour to the United Kingdom.
It was confirmed on Thursday that, following a country-wide tour and a series of meetings with Currie Cup coaches, the Bok management "won't be prescribing" to coaches when to rest players and where to play them".
However, the decision on whether to rest any players - and if so which players - for the year-end tour will be taken closer to the trip in November.
"Yes, it [to rest players] is something in the ambit of the [Bok] selectors," Andy Marinos, Manager of National Teams, told rugby365.com.
"They will make a call [on whether to rest players or not] closer to the time [of the tour]," he added.
The Springbok management described their meetings with the various Currie Cup coaches as "successful", adding that they had "shared information" regarding Springbok players.
Bok coach Peter de Villiers, his assistants and national teams manager Andy Marinos met the coaching staffs of the Sharks and Free State Cheetahs on Tuesday, while they caught up with the Blue Bulls and Western Province on Wednesday.
"It has been a long and exhausting season for our leading players and we spoke to the coaches about the players' form and fitness, while they have been in our care." Marinos said in a statement.
"We laid out our plans for the end-of-year tour and for the British and Irish Lions visit next season and discussed the amount of rugby the players can expect to play.
"We understand though that the coaches have the Currie Cup and Super 14 to win and we won't be prescribing to them when to rest players and where to play them..
"They were very positive meetings at a coach-to-coach level and we all have a better understanding of where we want to go," he concluded.
By Jan de Koning
