Francois Louw
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer will be pleased to see two of his stalwarts returning to the rugby field in the European Cup this weekend.
Bath’s Francois Louw is set to make his comeback after a ten-week stint on the sideline following surgery on his neck for nerve damage.
The flank last played for the Springboks in their Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks in Wellington on 13 September.
Bath assistant coach Toby Booth has indicated that Louw may be thrown straight into the action and could start for the English team when they face Montpellier at home on Friday.
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“Francois has been training for some time and it’s been a case of just making sure that everyone is happy medically,” Booth said.
“We’ve no issues with throwing him straight in. We’re not worried.
“He’s been training well, and he was thrown in for the final of the European Challenge Cup last season and did very well.”
Another player that has worked his way back from a long term injury is Bok scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar who made his come back for Ulster in their 24-9 victory against the Scarlets last week.
Pienaar returned after injuring knee ligaments against New Zealand in Wellington in September, which also ruled him out of the Boks’ European tour.
He marked his return with a try in the victory but it was clear his focus was on performing for his Irish province.
“It’s in our hands now, we’ve got three games left and hopefully we can get three good results,” Pienaar said.
“For me it’s just a relief to be back on the pitch again and do almost 80 minutes.
“I think for us it was disappointing with those first two results [against Leicester and Toulon] but we’ve given ourselves a chance to still be in this pool,” he said.
The Springboks, in their run up to the World Cup in September next year, will be hoping that players like Pienaar and Louw, who are set to play an important role in the tournament, can stay both fit and in form.
The Boks have only got four Tests remaining as preparation for theWorld Cup before their opener against Japan on 19 September.
They face The All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas twice in a shortened Rugby Championship over July and August 2015.