Prior to the new round of 3 matches this coming weekend, we have to report that Trevor Nyakane, prop of the Free State Cheetahs, has broken his thumb and might be out for the rest of the Currie Cup. Blue Bulls young monster looseforwar, Arno Botha, who was struggling with a hamstring strain seems to have strained the hamstring some more and indications are he is out for at least one week. Western Province has not escaped the injury bogey either with news that not only is Siya Kolisi out for the remainder of the Currie Cup season, but Tyrone Holmes is out for 2 weeks with a shoulder injury. The good news for Western Province however is that they will have Rynhardt Elstadt and Deon Carsten back from injury this week.

Toyota Free State Cheetahs:

Trevor Nyakane broke his thumb in the Cheetahs’ 29-16 win over Griquas on Saturday in Kimberley and will be out for between six to eight weeks, with the Cheetahs desperately looking around for back-up for the rest of the season.

Even if the news is good and Nyakane returns in six weeks, that puts it just before the semi-final of the Currie Cup and he will be hard pressed to make it back for the final part of the competition.

However, the Cheetahs will now call up Schalk van der Merwe to the front row after he impressed after coming off the bench in the win over Griquas, while veteran Ross Geldenhuys is likely to come onto the bench.

But with the loss of WP Nel  who left to Scotland and Coenie Oosthuizen who is still out with a long term injury, it means that the Cheetahs cupboard is almost bare at the moment, ahead of a big game against the Sharks this weekend.

“We have Schalk, but Trevor is a big loss, and Ross is there as back-up, especially as Coenie will still be out for two to three weeks, but we must find backup,” coach Naka Drotské said.

“I’m happy with the way we played against Griquas – we struggled in the first half with the wind, but in the second half were able to put more moves together and carry the ball more. It was a good victory to get.”

The Cheetahs aren’t likely to make too many changes ahead of the Sharks game, but will be hoping not to be hit by more injuries.

DHL Western Province:

Tyrone Holmes has a shoulder injury which will keep him sidelined for two weeks.

This comes after news broke on Sunday that flanker Siya Kolisi will miss the rest of the season after breaking his thumb in WP’s 26-23 loss to the Golden Lions in Johannesburg over the weekend.

They did, however, receive some good news on Monday when flank Rynhardt Elstadt was declared fit for their clash against the Blue Bulls at Newlands on Saturday. Elstadt was sidelined with a groin injury since the Stormers’ Super Rugby semi-final loss to the Sharks in late July.

Deon Carstens, who broke his nose in their opening Currie Cup game against the Sharks at Newlands a few weeks ago, is also back to full readyness.

There’s also the possibility that they could lose Duane Vermeulen. The fit-again loosie – who had a good 65 minutes against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday – may be called up to the Springbok setup.

“Duane (Vermeulen), Jebb Sinclair, Rynhardt (Esltadt) and Deon Fourie should be the loose forwards in our group,” coach Allister Coetzee said.

Maties skipper Helmut Lehmann has also been pulled in to cover at flank.

There’s also still uncertainty over the return of No 8 Nick Koster – who’s been out with a long-term knee injury and has again visited a knee specialist.

“It’s really not going well with Nick. He’s not where he should be in his recovery,” said Coetzee.

WP are currently languishing at fifth spot on the overall log – two behind the fourth placed Blue Bulls – after their narrow 26-23 loss to the Lions.

Their clash against the Bulls at Newlands kicks off at 19:10 on Saturday.

Vodacom Blue Bulls:

Arno Botha, the former SA under-20 captain suffered a second hamstring injury in three weeks.

Botha was impressive when he came on off the bench in his side’s 42-31 win over the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. He also missed the Bulls’ clash against the Cheetahs two weeks ago after tweaking his hamstring in the opening round against Griquas on August 10.

The 20-year-old is likely to be out for one week and seems to be the only casualty from the Sharks game.

Centre Jan Serfontein and prop Frik Kirsten, who withdrew from the bench just before the Sharks clashdue to flu, have recovered and can be considered for selection.

Springok winger Bjorn Basson is expected to return to action in two weeks’ time after undergoing an emergency operation to fix a perforated small intestine, while Chiliboy Ralepelle (six weeks) and Pierre Spies (ten weeks) are long term casualties.

The Bulls are currently in fourth spot on the overall log with eight points, although they’re only one point behind the table-topping Golden Lions.

Their clash against WP at Newlands kicks off at 19:10 on Saturday.

GWK Griquas:

Griquas have lost Janro van Niekerk to a shoulder injury, but there is some good news with Marnitz Schoeman and Edwin Hewitt both available and fit to play this weekend.

The Sharks:

There were no serious injuries to come out of the Sharks last game and they will now start preparing for Saturday’s home match against the Free State Cheetahs who come off successive victories (over the Blue Bulls and Griquas).

The Sharks’ depth may also be bolstered for this match.

“We hope to have some players back for Saturday’s game,” said Bashford.

“Meyer Bosman could be ready and we are hoping to get one or two of our Springboks back because of the bye weekend in the Rugby Championship.”

The clash against the Cheetahs kicks off at 17:05 on Saturday.

MTN Golden Lions:

No news of injuries have been reported by the Golden Lions, but we can confirm that the player exodus at the Golden Lions gained some more momentum as we can confirm that young lock Paul Willemse has signed for next year’s Super Rugby season with the Blue Bulls.

In addition, Dr Louis Luyt has become the latest figure to slam the Golden Lions Rugby Union, saying when he left the Lions in 2000, the Union had cash reserves of 85 Million Rand, whereas it is now believed that the Golden Lions Rugby Union is in the red by about the same margin, meaning they have managed to squander 170 Million Rand in the space of 12 years.  Dr Luyt fears that the Golden Lions Rugby Union might face Liquidation soon.