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Joost still uncertain
24/08/2001 15:04 - (SA)
Auckland - It is still uncertain if Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen will recover in time after suffering from a stomach bug, to take his place for the crucial Tri-Nations encounter with the All Blacks.
Van der Westhuizen spent Friday evening in bed recovering from a food bug that has affected seven of the 26-strong national squad.
Van der Westhuizen, due to play his 75th Test, is the player to have been hit the hardest and although he took part in the captain's run, he was put to bed early in a bid to get him back to full strength in the next 24 hours, the SA Rugby Football Union said in a statement.
Other players who took strain on Thursday included Conrad Jantjes, Cobus Visagie, Ollie le Roux, Johann van Niekerk, Willie Meyer and Johan Ackermann. By Friday, they were feeling a lot better.
The Bok medical staff were confident Van der Westhuizen would make the necessary recovery, but made no secret of their concern at his condition on
Friday.
Forecasters predict heavy showers today at Eden Park where the condition of the pitch has caused concern.
The Boks completed their preparations with a captain's run at Eden Park.
Earlier in the day, Bok coach Harry Viljoen confirmed that Andre Snyman would replace the injured Robbie Fleck in the only change to the starting XV that drew 14-all against the Wallabies.
Fleck had been given until Saturday morning to prove his fitness, but on Friday morning he informed the Bok management that he was not confident that his right ankle would stand up to the rigours of a Test match.
Snyman, whose Test comeback has been dubbed remarkable following to broken ankles in two years, will play an international for the first time since
1999.
The incident has brought back memories of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, where a number of the All Blacks squad fell ill on the eve of the final with a ?sterious bug?
In the aftermath of the final the All Blacks identified a certain Suzie that worked in the hotel where the team stayed, as the person responsible for the food poisoning. The allegations were never proven.
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South Africa
