By Ken Borland
PRETORIA, South Africa, April 19 – South Africa coach
Heyneke Meyer said on Thursday that he understood star centre
Jaque Fourie’s reasons for making himself unavailable for the
Springboks this year.
The 29-year-old Fourie, who has been capped 69 times for
South Africa since 2003, announced on Wednesday that he was
unavailable for the Springboks while he completes the second
year of his contract with Japanese club Kobelco Steelers.
“I respect Jaque’s thoughts in not making himself available
but it’s a pity because he’s close to being the best outside
centre in the world and he was definitely an integral part of my
plans,” Meyer told reporters in Pretoria.
“But it’s very important that the players I choose are
focused on the South African cause and want to play for the
Springboks. If there’s pressure from their overseas clubs, then
I understand,” Meyer told reporters in Pretoria on Thursday.
The new Springboks coach said the door was not closed to
Fourie to make a return ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
“I’d like to speak again with Jaque in two years time,
because we’ll be going into our World Cup plans and I hope he
can still be there then,” he said.
Meyer, who had just completed the first of three planning
camps with potential Springbok players, drawn from the Cheetahs
and the Lions, said there was plenty of talent at his disposal
to replace senior players who were not available.
“The absence of players like Jaque is great for the
youngsters and even the more experienced guys,” he said.
Continued…
