Rassie Erasmus to throw Springboks star into the thick of Test rugby after NINE MONTHS on the sidelines
Rassie Erasmus looks set to throw Malcolm Marx back into the thick of Test rugby in the Springboks’ first match of 2024.
Marx suffered a horrific knee injury during training for the World Cup in France last year, and he hasn’t played a minute of rugby since.
The world-class hooker missed the full Japan Rugby League One season for the Kubota Spears due to his nine-month absence while recovering from the injury.
Malcolm Marx to start v Wales
With no fixtures left in Japan for the hooker to ease his way back to full match fitness, he is set to mark his return in the Springboks jersey against Wales on June 22 in the clash at Twickenham Stadium.
Marx is reportedly being considered for a spot in the starting lineup in opposition to Warren Gatland’s accusations, according to the Sunday daily Rapport.
Instead of coming off the bench, Erasmus’ transfer will enable him and his coaching staff to keep a closer eye on his development and better control his playing time.
Siya Kolisi won’t be available for the Springboks due to the match against Wales falling outside of the official World Rugby international window. As a result, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, and Pieter-Steph du Toit are the front-runners to lead the team.
However, the report adds that Mbonambi will now not be considered to captain the team in the opening game as he could provide cover from the bench for Marx.
Marx, who is recognized as one of the best hookers in the game when healthy, will be a great asset to the Springboks when they play Ireland in a two-Test series back in South Africa.
Due to his World Cup injury, Mbonambi had to play through the end of their quarterfinal and semifinal matches against France and England, respectively, before getting hurt in the first few minutes of the championship game. As a result, Deon Fourie started the majority of the match in the front row.
The URC final and the match against Wales are scheduled for the same day, therefore the Springboks may be without key players from the Stormers and/or Bulls, who both advanced to the play-offs.
