Hanro Liebenberg
Vodacom Blue Bulls No 8, Hanro Liebenberg, will miss at least the next 6 weeks of the ABSA Currie Cup due to surgery, but Arno Botha has been cleared to play in the competition this weekend.
Liebenberg left the field late in the 1st half after a heavy tackle that saw him limp off, and there were no signs of the rupture in the scan that the Blue Bulls medical personnel did after the game on Saturday night.
But on Sunday Liebenberg didn’t feel well and headed back to the medical personnel, who rushed him to hospital where he was admitted in a serious condition and diagnosed with a ruptured small intestine and bruised colon from the tackle.
There was widespread fear on Monday that the injury could be career-ending as Liebenberg underwent emergency surgery in Pretoria, but the operation was a success, with a 2nd operation scheduled for Wednesday.
The SA Under 20 captain is set to miss most of the rest of the Currie Cup season because of the injury, and will face a slow road to recovery after the rupture released gas into his body that deteriorated his condition fast.
“He will make a full recovery,” Dr Org Strauss, the Bulls’ team doctor said, “But he is very sick at the moment and it will take a while to recover. We are looking at around 6 weeks recovery time for him but we could well see him back in action before the end of the season.”
Arno Botha has been cleared following a knee injury picked up in Japan and can be considered for this weekend’s match against ORC Griquas in Kimberley.
The likes of Dayan van der Westhuizen, Tian Schoeman, Dries Swanepoel, Warrick Gelant and Roelof Smit only trained on Tuesday, following light niggles sustained in the win over the DHL Western Province last weekend.
Strauss also confirmed that Callie Visagie will not play again this season. The hooker will undergo foot surgery this week and will be out for 4 months at least.
Visagie will join Irne Herbst, Piet van Zyl, Morné Mellett and Dennis Visser on the long-term injury list.
Ruan Steenkamp and Pierre Schoeman, who are recovering from knee injuries, is pencilled in to return at the end of the month and Ryan Nell and Duncan Matthews for 15 September.