THE Rugby World Cup is less than two weeks away and excitement is building as the Springboks have a realistic chance of doing something special.
A few months ago most thought our left wing would be Lions flyer Aphiwe Dyanti.
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But he’s been injured and now faces a possible four-year ban for alleged doping violations.
Everything in me hopes he is innocent and that there is an explanation for this.
Since he scored those exciting tries last year, kitted out in the flashy white shoes, he has been my seven year old son’s hero.
Now my son is battling to understand why Dyanti isn’t going to the World Cup, and what a performance enhancing drug is.
His mother is not overly excited at his huge interest in rugby, but he’d play the sport 24-7 if he could.
It’s hard to say what his prospects might be… his mom ran the 100m in about 20 seconds and his dad’s career highlight was scoring a try for the 7th team against Maritzburg College’s 11ths. Could have been the 13ths, actually.
A friend fairly recently sent me an email comparing the current SA Schools team to the Bok team that played the first game after readmission, back in about 1992.
Man for man, there was not much in it, and in some instances, the pupils were heavier.
The professional rugby players today are solid, that’s for sure. And they put in the work at the gym.
But it’s a sad day if some feel the need to use banned substance in order to bulk up or recover quickly from injury.
On a different note, the Eben Etzebeth claims of a racist assault at a night club haven’t helped matters.
Hopefully the truth will be unearthed quickly and the matter resolved.
The Boks don’t need any more ‘surprises’ as they focus on their opening game against New Zealand on September 21.
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