Just hours after scoring a try for the Barbarians at Twickenham, Asenathi Ntlabakanye has had to answer an urgent Springbok call-up.
The powerful Lions prop has joined the Boks as a replacement for injured loosehead Ox Nche, who was forced off in the 18th minute of Saturday’s emphatic 61-7 win over Japan at Wembley Stadium.
Nche has since flown home to South Africa, where he’ll undergo scans to determine the full extent of his ankle and knee injury.
Ntlabakanye, who made his Test debut in July against Italy after turning out for the Boks for the first time against the Barbarians in June, didn’t have long to rest after his latest club outing.
The 24-year-old prop dotted down in the second minute of the Barbarians’ clash with the All Blacks XV – a game they eventually lost 33-19 – before linking up with the Bok squad in London on Sunday morning.
By the afternoon, he was en route to Paris alongside his teammates as South Africa began their preparations for Saturday’s blockbuster Test against France at Stade de France.
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“We feel for Ox, and we wish him all the best with his injury and recovery,” said Rassie Erasmus.
“It’s always tough to lose a player of his calibre, but Asenathi is a capped Springbok and has been with us for a large part of the season, so he knows our systems well. He was already on our standby list, and since he was in London, he joined us immediately – which is fantastic for us.”
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Photo: Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Barbarians
