A few snippets of injury news concerning various SA players.
Perhaps the most significant is that Bok and WP lock Andries Bekker will play no further rugby this season after requiring surgery to his back. It’s apparently a recurrence of an old injury which will finally bring down the curtain on what has been a frustrating latter part of 2010 for the huge second-rower. After a brilliant Super 14 trournament for the Stormers, Bekker has been dogged by a series of niggles – as well as off-field controversy – and perhaps an extended spell on the sidelines will be just the tonic to get him fighting fit and ready for the Super 15 and the World Cup in 2011.
Bekker unavailability raises the possibility of the Sharks needing to make do without Alistair Hargreaves for a large part of the Currie Cup campaign, since the former SA age-group skipper is highly rated and will no doubt be named as Victor Matfield’s deputy in the Tri-Nations squad to compete in the home leg.
Two Blue Bulls players will also be on the sidelines for varying periods. Prop Dean Greyling – one of their most impressive find so far this Currie Cup – will need to sit out for two weeks, having injured his neck. Flanker Deon Stegmann will be out for anything between four and six weeks as a result of a hamstring strain and while the immediate availability of Dewald Potgieter will somewhat lessen the blow, the Bulls may just find themselves a little thin at flank once the Tri-Nations squad reconvenes in two weeks’ time.
Do you really think that Hargreaves will be called up to the Bok squad?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 1) : If he is called up it’s purely because he’s one of PdV’s little favourite’s
@Pokkel (Comment 2) : I agree, it can’t be on form.. I think he is the only lock left standing in the country.
And what about Skeate, was he ever up for Bok selection?
What do guys like Andries get up to when they have long injury-enforced lay-offs like this? I’m sure they spend some time on rehabilitation, but I’m guessing that’s just a couple of hours a day… for the rest? Are they used by the Unions for marketing and coaching workshops for junior-players… or are they basically on a paid holiday?
@CS (Comment 4) : It must be the life hey?
We know what Bekker gets up to in his spare time. Unfortunately for him, so does his wife
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 5) : Indeed, especially if you’re with the Sharks or the Stormers and can spend your day getting some much needed R&R on the beach
@robdylan (Comment 6) : Ag shame, poor Andries
He should keep “extra long” in his trousers in future
@robdylan (Comment 6) :
hahahaha
Hy wil mos rond pomp!!
@robdylan (Comment 9) : Ok, now that’s just getting a bit too graphic
@robdylan (Comment 9) : Haha.. Thats what you get if you wanna Joost around..
@robdylan (Comment 6) : nice chirp…
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 1) : Surely not, they`ll go with Flip!
Flip is a 4, not a 5
@robdylan (Comment 6) : hahahaha
Hargreaves called up as backup, leaving Skeate to start for the Sharks – I like!
Injuries, injuries and more injuries? Jeez, by the headline I thought there was a team bus accident or something. So only Bekker and two Bulls players?
For a while there I thought I was on Keo
@rhineshark (Comment 17) : Well Injuries(Bekker), injuries (Dean Greyling) and more injuries (Stegman)…seems pretty accurate to me.
@rhineshark (Comment 17) : I think maybe these three are more injuries, added to the many we already have.
@rhineshark (Comment 17) : remember it’s all theatre
(that’s the advice I got from Keo on Twitter)
@Letgo (Comment 18) : JIP, the injury list in SA is horrendous at the moment. Luckily our Sharkies are coming off them one by one
@robdylan (Comment 20) :
You take Keo’s advice? Bad idea!
@rhineshark (Comment 21) : only sometimes… only sometimes.
The man has built something successful – whether you admire his methods or not.
does anyone know what the story is with Bismarck, Jannie, Andre Pretouris and Mapoe..how their recovery is going and when they are expected to be fit??
@robdylan (Comment 22) : True. And sometimes he does make sense. Sometimes.
@Louis (Comment 23) : I know that Bismarck is running, but hasn’t been cleared to take contact yet. Pretorius probably isn’t more than a few weeks away from fitness (or whatever his version of that is). Mapoe is also running with the squad, but the last I heard was that he was going to miss the entire first half of the competition, hence a return against Griquas is Round 8 is probably the earliest we might see him.
No idea at all about Janneman.
@robdylan (Comment 25) : recent media reports suggest bissie might be available next week
@war1 (Comment 26) : or even this week, along with his brother.
@robdylan (Comment 25) : It’s early days in the CC, our squad is fine and we are 2nd on the log.
I think we have a tendency to rush players back too soon after injury and specifically guys like Bissie should not play before we know for certain that their injuries have healed 110%.
Besides our Currie Cup campaign we have next year’s S15 and the RWC 2011 to think about, so I won’t mind if all our currently crocked stars only play from Round 8 onwards.
Not that I wouldn’t want to see a full strength side take the field, mind you. Once everyone’s fit we’re going to have an awesome squad of quality players to pick from.
@rhineshark (Comment 28) : well, see the latest article. A right old conundrum on our hands.
Fact is, I reckon the team that beat the Bulls will lose to the Cheetahs. Our full-strength team should take them, though, but at what cost?
Maybe they should be playing ALL the returning Boks to give our 2nd stringers a rest… it’s going to be a long CC season affterall
@CS (Comment 30) : would take a better salesman than Plumtree to sell that one to the squad
@robdylan (Comment 29) : our ‘normal’ full strenght side cant be them either, how many times have we beaten them in the S14
@Jarson (Comment 32) : shit. I’m trying my level best to forget that