There is never a dull moment with the former Springboks flank turned master coach Rassie Erasmus, after he was “admitted to hospital after sustaining chemical burns following an accident involving a powerful detergent product”.
Rassie Erasmus has undergone a medical procedure to treat the burns.
SA Rugby confirmed in a press statement yesterday that Erasmus is “otherwise in good health and expects to return to full-time working within weeks”.
Erasmus, a tough but ever-scheming flanker, reached the 1999 World Cup semi-final as a player before turning to the whistle and clipboard and masterminding South Africa’s back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023.
Rassie Erasmus, SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby, is recovering in hospital following a medical procedure for chemical burns sustained in a freak accident using a powerful detergent product. He is otherwise in good health and expects to return to full-time working within weeks 🏉 pic.twitter.com/hU2lxmRUUQ
— Springboks (@Springboks) January 27, 2024
Erasmus has returned to his role as head coach following the departure of Jacques Nienaber to Leinster last November. He also held the dual roles of head coach and director of rugby leading up to and during the 2019 World Cup.
The Boks need Erasmus to be in rude health for their juicy domestic schedule, which begins in July when they host Ireland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Irish will be very keen to prove a point after beating the Boks in a Pool game in France, only to stumble in the quarter-finals against New Zealand while the Boks shrugged off the defeat and went all the way.
Equally keen to state a case against the Springboks is the All Blacks, the team the Boks beat by a single point in the nerve-wracking World Cup final.
The Boks play the Kiwis in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and complete their home schedule with a first-ever match against Portugal (in Bloemfontein) and a Rugby Championship match against the Pumas in Nelspruit.
Springboks’ home Test schedule for 2024:
Saturday, July 6: SA v Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, July 13: SA v Ireland (Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, July 20: SA v Portugal (Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, August 31: SA vs. New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7: SA v New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 28: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
IOL Sport