Setback for De Villiers as injuries mount

AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS NEWS:SPRINGBOK COACH Peter de Villiers may be forced to further change the complexion of his team to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday as former Munster centre Jean de Villiers as well as backrow Willem Alberts missed the squad's final training session in South Africa because of injury.

The world champions now face the prospect of playing Ireland in the first match of their European tour without any match-fit midfielders.

The touring party arrives in London this morning on two separate overnight flights from Johannesburg before transferring to Dublin. These most recent injuries follow a spate of withdrawals from the tour including that of Springbok captain John Smit and flanker Schalk Burger, who broke a rib in last week’s Currie Cup final.

“We have had our challenges with the number of injuries, particularly among the centres, but that’s not unusual in international rugby,” De Villiers said in a statement yesterday. “The players have shown a great attitude in training and we now have to take that on to the field. Ireland have a good record against us in Dublin in recent years.”

The Springboks have also lost centre Juan de Jongh and scrumhalf Ricky Januarie since the squad was announced on Saturday. They have been replaced by fullback Zane Kirchner, veteran centre Adrian Jacobs, who has played very little rugby this season and uncapped flanker Deon Segmann.

France-based utility back and World Cup winner Francois Steyn has been ruled out of the Ireland match after his club Racing Metro refused to release him for a match that falls outside the International Rugby Board’s official Test window. The Springboks also play Wales, Scotland and England on the tour as they seek to become the first South African team since 1960 to beat all four home unions.

Wales coach Warren Gatland will today name his starting line-up to face Australia, a team shorn of injured quintet Lee Byrne, Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies and Ryan Jones. Centre James Hook is expected to deputise for fullback Byrne, with Tom Shanklin and Andrew Bishop forging the midfield partnership and either Tom Prydie, Will Harries or Chris Czekaj filling Halfpenny’s wing vacancy. Up front, it appears Gatland’s only area for debate is whether he goes with Cardiff Blues flanker Sam Warburton at blindside or Newport Gwent Dragons’ Dan Lydiate.

John Hayes is the only Irish man available for the Barbarians match against South Africa at Twickenham on December 4th.

The rest will be back on Magners League duty with an eye on round three of the Heineken Cup a week later. Should Tony Buckley suffer a recurrence of a previous injuries in November, Hayes will surely be pulled back to Limerick.

Four Leinster Academy graduates received diplomas from the Higher Education and Training Awards Council yesterday. Felix Jones, Shane Monahan, Richie Sweeney and Kyle Tonetti follow in the footsteps of Fionn Carr, Matthew D’Arcy, Ross McCarron, Conor McInerney, Kevin McLaughlin, Seán O’Brien, James Power, Jonathan Sexton, Devin Toner and Cillian Willis who all graduated in recent years.

BARBARIANS (squad v South Africa):J OConnor (Aus), J Rokocoko (NZ), D Mitchell (Aus), A Ashley-Cooper (Aus), Maa Nonu (NZ), M Giteau (Aus), W Genia (NZ), K Mealamu (NZ), S Moore (Aus), J Hayes (Ire), S Perugini (Ita), N Tialata (NZ), C Jack (NZ), T Donnelly (NZ), Q Geldenhuys (Ita), M Williams (Wal), R Sooialo (NZ), C Bourke (Chiefs), D Braid (NZ). Coach: Nick Mallett. Assistant coach: Alan Solomons