Luke Burgess
The return of Super Rugby down-under is timeous for the Rebels with the return of Wallaby Luke Burgess and Nic Stirzaker from injury.
Burgess, who was called up to the Wallabies camp for the French series, hobbled from the field last time the Melbourne boys played the Reds, but only after scoring two tries.
Another scrumhalf, Stirzaker, who has sustained two injuries to the same ankle in 2014, can officially wipe his name from the injury list, and will join Burgess in contention for selection this week.
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Stirzaker’s resilience and determination has been vital to the success of his rehabilitation according to Club Doctor Asheer Singh.
“Through both of his injuries, Nic has persevered and shown extreme courage to get fit to train and play,” explained Dr Singh.
“The June window provided him with an excellent opportunity to complete his rehabilitation which has gone extremely well.”
“He trained fully for the first time with the squad toward the end of last week, and is available for selection this Friday.”
For Burgess, his return ahead of schedule is indicative of the huge amount of work he put into his rehabilitation.
“Luke underwent a stringent rehabilitation programme which has seen him recover well from his injury,” said Dr. Singh.
“The June window also provided him with an opportunity to rehabilitate from his injury without missing many games.”
“His extreme dedication and commitment to his rehabilitation programme saw him called up into the Wallabies camp last week and this is a wonderful reflection of his determination to return to playing.”
Flank Scott Fuglistaller left the field early against the Brumbies in Round Sixteen, however after a light load during the beginning of the international break sees him primed for a big impact against the Reds.
Lopeti Timani and Lachlan Mitchell are the only two other players to remain on the injury list, with Timani looking to return in mid-July, while it is expected that Mitchell will continue to sit out the remainder of the Super Rugby Season.