Frans rules himself out

Frans Steyn will play no part in the June Test series and has requested some time to assess his future with the Boks.

Steyn started at No 12 against the World XV in Cape Town last Saturday. He was expected to face Wales in Durban this weekend, an appearance that would have marked his first Test in nearly two years.

But Steyn will not play for the Boks this Saturday, and perhaps for the remainder of the 2014 season.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Steyn would not feature in the June Tests against Wales and Scotland. According to a statement from Saru, the 53-Test veteran has made himself unavailable for the series.

Steyn said the move had nothing to do with the current Bok set-up.

'The environment in the Springbok squad is fantastic and I would like to state categorically that my relationship with Heyneke Meyer, the rest of the management and my team-mates is very good,' said Steyn.

Steyn will continue to play for the Sharks after the June internationals, and link up with a Japanese club once his Vodacom Super Rugby commitments have concluded. It's believed that Steyn was never going to be available for this year's Rugby Championship because of his move to Japan.

Saru has said that the 27-year-old has asked for time to reflect on his Springbok future. He has not retired from international rugby, and is still contracted to the Boks until the end of the 2015 World Cup.

The news of Steyn's unavailability places Meyer in a difficult position with regards to the current series.

Centres Jaque Fourie (ankle) and Jean de Villiers (knee) are recovering from long-term injuries. Damian de Allende was recently ruled out with a knee injury, and Juan de Jongh will not play in this week's Test due to a chest infection.

Meyer may well opt to start Jan Serfontein at No 12 against Wales this Saturday.

Photo: Barry Aldworth/Backpagepix

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