Am steps in for injured Mapimpi at Rugby World Cup

It was anticipated but news of Makazole Mapimpi’s exit from the Rugby World Cup still had a jarring effect on Monday, slightly eased by the news that 2019 winner Lukhanyo Am was called up to replace him.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus confirmed the news after Mapimpi fractured his cheekbone in Sunday night’s clash against Tonga.

“It’s sad with Mapimpi’s injury because he’ll be out for the rest of the tournament,” Erasmus said.

“It’s sad that something like that happened because it was an accident, because he now has a fractured eye socket and a blowout fracture.

“The eye is swollen, and the cheekbone is fractured, so I think he’s out for four to six weeks.

“We won’t just miss him as a brilliant rugby player, but what he brings to the team is a lot of heart and honesty.”

Mapimpi, one of the stars of the last World Cup, drew the most raucous reaction when the Bok squad for France was unveiled in Johannesburg on August 8.

Many Bok fans will be saddened by his departure.

The Boks will fly Mapimpi and their first casualty, Malcolm Marx, back to France to attend the final should they get there.

World Rugby and SA Rugby confirmed centre Am would replace Mapimpi in their squad.

Am won the RWC with SA in 2019 and made the assist for Mapimpi’s try in the final against England.

The Springboks’ post-match victory celebrations after Sunday night’s 49-18 win over Tonga were tempered by the news that Mapimpi had suffered a facial fracture.

His first-half collision with Tonga scrumhalf Augustin Pulu saw head-on-head contact but it was not deemed serious enough for a red or yellow card.

The severity of the injury was not yet clear when coach Jacques Nienaber addressed the media afterwards.

However, when the team walked to their bus in the bowels of Stade Velodrome on their departure, the right side of Mapimpi’s face showed significant swelling.

Overall, however, the Boks reached nearly all the objectives they had set out to achieve.

Flyhalf Handré Pollard returned and delivered a typically composed performance.

He just about looked the Pollard of old and his four successful conversions from four attempts settled many nerves.

The Bok attack looked sharper when he departed the scene after 50 minutes and Manie Libbok replaced him.

He, too, was blemish-free off the kicking tee.

“I think he will just get better,” Nienaber said about Pollard. “I think he was solid. You look at his ball carries, that was decisive and good.

“His defence, I thought his level changed well and he put some proper shoulder hits in. I thought his off-the-ball work was good and his kicking game in general was good.

“The fundamentals [for which] we wanted him to tick the boxes, I think he ticked tonight.”

Though the Bok defence conceded three tries — one less than the tally they conceded for their entire campaign in 2019 — Nienaber, one of the game’s defence devotees, was not concerned.

He stressed the Boks’ defence did not lack effort neither did they suffer system failures.

“We should perhaps also give Tonga credit for the way they attacked,” Nienaber said.

SA face an uncomfortable wait before the quarterfinal line-up is decided.

By Friday evening, the picture might become a little clearer after France’s clash with Italy.

By next Saturday, the Boks will know if their next major stop in the north of Paris is at Stade de France or Charles de Gaulle Airport.