Umqeqeshi welizwe loMzantsi Afrika owaziwayo, uJohan Ackermann, angafudukela kwilizwe laseNgilane emva kokuvuma ukuba ngokwenene kukho isicelo esiphambi kwakhe seqela lamaNgesi – iGloucester.

Uthotho lwabadlali boMzantsi Afrika bombhoxo luntingele kumazwe aseYurophu minyaka le – apho ludlala khona ngoku ngenxa yemivuzo efudumeleyo – kodwa akuphelelanga apho ngoba kukho nabaqeqeshi abaqeqesha phesheya abafana noJake White, uGary Gold, uRassie Erasmus, uFrans Ludeke noJaques Nienaber. Lo ka-Ackermann angathathwa yiGloucester ekukholeleka ukuba ifuna angene endaweni kaLaurie Fisher njengomqeqeshi othe wabeka phantsi emva kokubethwa kweGloucester ngo’30-27 yiHarlequins. Ukufunwa kuka-Ackermann ngapha nangapha kulandela ukuvusa kwakhe iLions azisuse emsileni wazibeka kwindawo yesithathu kwiSuper Rugby. “Ewe, zikhona iziphakamiso zomsebenzi eziphambi kwam endiziqwalaselayo. Okwangoku ndisaphicotha imiba ethile. Ndizakusithatha isigqibo kwakamsinyane ngoba andifuni eli qela [Lions] liphazamiseke yilo nto. Sinetumente ekufuneka siyidlalile – kodwa ke ndakusenza isibhengezo xa ixesha lifikile,” utshilo u-Ackermann.

Iingxelo zithi ingqonyela yeGloucester, uDavid Humphreys, ebeseGoli kwiveki ephelileyo – apho ebethetha-thethana nale ndedeba. Akukho nto ethethiweyo kodwa yiGloucester ngalo mba. Ingqonyela, uStephen Vaughan, uthe: “Silindele nantoni na enokwenzeka kwaye sikulungele ukufuna umqeqeshi omtsha. Sebebaninzi ngoku abantu abanomdla nangona singekatsho ukuba sifuna umntu.”

Ingxaki engaxakana nayo u-Ackermann kukuba unesivumelwano neLions esiphelelwa ngo’2018. Okwangoku akukacaci nokuba iGloucester izimisele na ukumthenga kwisivumelwano anaso neLions. Nangona efunwa leli qela laseNgilane, lo mqeqeshi ebephakathi kwabo bebebonwa njengabantu abanokuthi baqeqeshi iSpringboks.