Durban — Rassie Erasmus says the Springbok door is not closed on troubled wing Sbu Nkosi, who is currently without a provincial team after he and the Bulls parted ways on Monday.
Director of Rugby Erasmus said SA Rugby will support the 27-year-old’s efforts to get back on the field.
Nkosi has scored nine tries in 16 Test matches for Erasmus and current coach Jacques Nienaber but last played in the green and gold in 2021.
He has had periods of being AWOL at the Sharks and the Bulls and disappeared without a trace in February for over a week.
“We look at his age and how well he played for us. We just hope to see him playing rugby soon for somebody, somewhere,” Erasmus said. “We want him to play for somebody that will raise his play to where it used to and make him a contender again.”
Erasmus said that Nkosi as a person and player was “worth it”.
“If he stays in South Africa that is fantastic, but if he goes abroad, say to the France Top 14 or Japan, that is okay because he has been in our system.”
Erasmus said he is unaware of Nkosi’s personal circumstances or what led to his exit from the Bulls.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of his life. I just hope as soon as possible we see him playing in an arena where we can judge him against the players in his position in the Springboks squad. We would like to consider him in the future.”
Erasmus added: “There are a lot of people struggling with a lot of things. I’m not talking about Sbu specifically here. Some acknowledge their issues and some don’t. Some players are handling matters themselves and others are getting professional help.
“When we talk about players we must speak about them as people. We want to get Sbu back on the field and if there is something we at SA Rugby can do to help him, we will do that.”
IOL Sport