Your Question: Once again we count the costs of a ridiculously long season on the players' bodies. Shouldn't SARU / SANZAR look at forcing teams in SuperRugby to rest players after four games (ie. players are forced to rest after 4 games in a row)? This will also give fringe players valuable gametime. From: Brendan Sutcliffe

SARU ANSWERS: Brendan, Your suggestion for a forced rest period is certainly an engaging one and something the various national coaches in the SANZAR competitions would have discussed. Player welfare is of paramount importance to all the alliance partners and the issue of player burn-out and number of matches is a regular topic between the SANZAR countries and the various player organisations. We cannot speak on behalf of others, but here SARU and the South African Rugby Players Association are in discussions about this quite often. There are guidelines with regards to playing minutes per season, something that also varies from position to position.

Your Question: Hi, I would love to know why the Springboks have not kept up with the All Blacks over the years in terms of skills. To date they have beaten us 48 times to our 34 times. Why are we not developing our skills and using a game plan or game plans to compete with them. Many thanks. From Anthony

SARU ANSWERS: Anthony, Thank you for the question. I think there is a general misconception about our performances when compared to the All Blacks. They have edged ahead of us in the professional era and are the most successful international team in the modern era. But every country has its own ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses and wins and losses in any calendar year. We are not invincible and nor are the All Blacks. In 2007 we won the World Cup, they did not. In 2009, we managed to beat them three times in a row. To this day, Marius Joubert and Ray Mordt are the only players ever to score hat-tricks against New Zealand in tests; no one has ever scored hat trick of tries against South Africa. In 2011 we beat them and they went on to win the World Cup. This year we lost both our matches to them. Next year’s results might be in our favour again. The Springboks will never play like the All Blacks and vice versa. Just like the French will never play like the Scots or Australia and Ireland have unique styles.