Player Movements
Alesana Tuilagi
Faifili Levave
Samoa’s hopes of rescuing something from a wretched Rugby World Cup campaign suffered a new blow after Faifili Levave and Alesana Tuilagi were cited over incidents during Saturday’s defeat by Japan.
Levave was sin-binned for the offence he has been cited for by independent Citing Commissioner Yves Thieffine, which is for “playing the opponent without the ball”.
Tuilagi, who enjoyed a successful spell with Leicester Tigers finishing leading try scorer in 2012, has been cited for an offence which was not seen at the time by South African referee Craig Joubert.
Tuilagi was accused of an alleged foul “striking with the knee” in the 2nd minute of the Pool B match in Milton Keynes, said a World Rugby statement. Japan won the game 26 / 5.
Frans Malherbe
Lwazi Mvovo
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer decided to keep continuity for South Africa’s final Rugby World Cup Pool B match.
The Springboks face the United States at London’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.
The starting line-up shows only 2 changes from the team that recorded a 34 / 16 victory over Scotland in Newcastle last Saturday.
As a result Frans Malherbe will start his 1st match of the season for South Africa, while Rudy Paige could make his Test debut off the bench against the United States.
Malherbe comes in at tighthead prop for Jannie du Plessis, in the only change to the pack.
The backline shows only 1 personnel change as well – at wing, where Lwazi Mvovo takes over from JP Pietersen, with Bryan Habana moving over to the right wing.
Pietersen was not considered this week due to injury, while a decision was taken to give Du Plessis and Victor Matfield time to get over some niggles due to the short turn-around after the Scotland match.
Joining Paige on the bench is Morné Steyn, who both could get their 1st taste of Rugby World Cup action this year.
Schalk Brits and Coenie Oosthuizen are also back amongst the replacements this week.
Heyneke Meyer
South Africa’s Springboks have restored a semblance of order and normality again, after the shock loss in Round 1 against Japan, which was followed up by good wins over Samoa and Scotland on the weekend.
The Springboks now top their Rugby World Cup Pool (Pool B), leading Scotland by 1 Log Point (11 points to 10), after the same amount of games and with only 1 Round of Pool stage games left.
Japan is not out of the running in the Pool yet, a further 2 points adrift, but with their only remaining game the one against the USA Eagles and one they could well win as well.
The focus for the Springboks now shift to the game against the USA Eagles on Wednesday evening.
While there has been praise and some redemption for the Springboks and Heyneke Meyer, the job is not yet done.
The only injury concern is that of JP Pietersen, who suffered a knee injury on the weekend against Scotland.
There has been a lot of praise heaped on Handré Pollard for his performance against Scotland, playing next to the captain and general of the day, Fourie du Preez.
Lood de Jager, who was named Man Of The Match against Scotland deserves all the plaudits he is currently getting but he remains focussed and humble in the process, declaring that he’ll defend his country with everything he’s got.
In the meantime, speculation has been rife and a lot of opinion has been bandied about regarding the team selection for the game against USA on Wednesday and one of the 1st questions asked is if Rudy Paige will be drafted into the match-day 23 for the USA clash. Only 2 players have not had any game time yet, Paige and Morné Steyn.
Rob Horne
Australian wing Rob Horne remains a doubt to play against Wales but his tournament is not over yet, Wallabies defence coach Nathan Grey said Monday.
The 26-year-old had to go off in the 10th minute of Australia’s crushing 33 / 13 win over England on Saturday which consigned their opponents to becoming the 1st World Cup hosts to fail to get out of the pool stage.
“Rob Horne’s scans and tests came back a bit better than expected,” said Grey at the Australian’s morning press conference.
Michael Hooper
Australian Wallabies flank Michael Hooper could miss the Pool A decider with Wales after being cited over an incident during their crushing 33 / 13 defeat of England.
The incident concerning the 23-year-old – who along with fellow back row forward David Pocock were outstanding against England – took place in the 39th minute when he flung himself into a ruck leading with his shoulder which resulted in just a ticking off by French referee Romain Poite and a penalty being awarded to England when it was deep inside their own 22.
However, the independent citing commissioner Steve Hinds decided further action should be taken.
“Michael Hooper has been cited for an alleged act of foul play contrary to Law 10.4(h) – Charging into a ruck or maul without use of the arms or grasping the player – during the 39th minute of the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool A match between England and Australia at Twickenham on Saturday, 3 October,” read the statement form the organisers.
Hooper’s hearing will take place on Tuesday morning in London and be heard by independent Judicial Officer Alan Hudson.
Steven Sykes
The Eastern Province Kings’ injury list just keeps on growing as a further 6 players have been added to the ‘already injured’ list.
Knee injuries seems to be common among the EP Kings players – 5 players have already undergone surgery and will be out for a number of weeks – and lock Steven Sykes has now added his name to that list.
Aidon Davis (6 months), Gary van Aswegen (2 weeks), George Whitehead (2 months), Cameron Lindsay (9 months) and Luke Watson (pre-season) have all already had knee surgery and a call on Sykes’ availability for the final Round clash with DHL Western Province will be decided later in the week.
Other than Sykes, there are a further 5 players who emerged with injuries following their 27 / 48 defeat at the hands of the Vodacom Blue Bulls.
Martin Ferreira (dead leg), Tom Botha (elbow), Dwayne Kelly (hamstring strain), Tim Whitehead (AC joint) and Luther Obi (ankle sprain) will all be treated and monitored during the week.
The Steval Pumas dramatic comeback to secure a 37 / 37 draw against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs came at a cost, as no less than 6 players picked up a few niggles.
According to the team physiotherapist, Luzahn Louw, 5 forwards and 1 backline player will be re-assessed during the week to determine their availability for the Pumas’ final Currie Cup match against the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Nelspruit on Friday.
Fullback JW Bell will undergo a sonar scan on the same hamstring he injured 2 weeks ago while loose forward Jaco Bower will have to wait for x-rays to determine whether or not he has broken his cheek bone.
Fellow loose forwards Uzair Cassiem (neck spasm strain) and Jason-Colin Fraser (quad contusion) are also on the injury list. Joining them are lock Marius Coetzer, who damaged knee cartilage and picked up a hamstring strain, as well as Springbok prop Vincent Koch, who a picked up a knee contusion.
The Scotland squad issued the following medical bulletin on Sunday after Saturday’s (3 October) 34 / 16 loss to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup at St James’ Park.
Hooker Ross Ford failed an in-game HIA (head injury assessment) meaning he will now follow the graduated return-to-play protocol, as will centre Matt Scott, who reported delayed onset concussion symptoms post match.
Fullback Stuart Hogg left the field of play in the 63rd minute of the Test match having suffered cramp to his legs and lower back, however he is not considered an immediate concern.
Further knocks include a dead leg for lock Jonny Gray and a mild knee strain for centre Richie Vernon. Both players will continue to be monitored and rehabilitated by the Scotland medical team.
Manasa Saulo
World Cup chiefs have banned Fiji prop Manasa Saulo for 10 weeks for stamping on the head of Wales’ player Luke Charteris.
The ban is the toughest handed out yet for an offence at the Rugby World Cup. Saulo jumped on Wales replacement Charteris during Fiji’s 23 / 13 defeat in Cardiff on Thursday.
Rugby World Cup said the offence was considered at the “top end” of the danger scale and that judicial officer Adam Casselden of Australia had considered a 4 month ban.
“However, taking into account mitigating factors including his early admission, disciplinary record, good character and remorse and the absence of any off-field aggravating factors, the player was suspended for a period of 10 weeks,” said a statement.
EP Players wearing white arm bands
The Eastern Province Kings, for the 3rd time this year, have taken to public protest over unpaid salaries.
The EP Kings matchday 22 wore white armbands in their 27 / 48 Currie Cup loss to the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
This move was in support of non-playing squad members who have to date not received their salaries for the month September.
On 2 occasions this year the players went on strike over unpaid wages – 1st over their June and July wages, which was eventually paid when the South African Rugby Union bailed out the EP Rugby Union, and then against in August.
It is unclear who bailed the EP Rugby Union out the 2nd time.
Jannie du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis is telling the story of the day the Springboks decided to change their entire lineout book in the build-up to Saturday’s World Cup match with Scotland.
The tighthead prop, with 66 caps packed into his near-33 years, bows his head and laughs.
“It was Monday. Black Monday,” he explains.
“Our forwards coach came in and said, ‘OK, on the weekend Scotland will have Josh Strauss and WP Nel in their team. We respect them as rugby players and we respect their ability to understand lineout calls in Afrikaans. So we’re changing our calls.’
“We said, ‘What? All of them?’ Our coach said, ‘Yes, every one. We start today.’ There was more than 1 sigh of frustration in that room, I can tell you. We were saying, ‘No! How am I going to learn all of this in a week!’ Maybe it’s a blessing. We made so many mistakes with the old ones. Maybe we needed to change anyway.”
Fourie du Preez
Fourie du Preez will become the Springboks’ 56th Test captain when he leads South Africa against Scotland on Saturday at the Rugby World Cup.
South Africa face Scotland in a must-win Pool B encounter at the Rugby World Cup St James’ Park in Newcastle on Saturday.
Du Preez made a massive impact upon his return in the match against Samoa last weekend and has been entrusted with the captaincy in the absence of the injured Jean de Villiers (fracture jaw, retired from the international stage) and Victor Matfield, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Schalk Burger is the vice-captain.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer made only 3 changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s match – 2 of them injury-enforced.
Jesse Kriel will link up again with Damian De Allende in the midfield, in the place of Jean de Villiers, while Lodewyk de Jager takes over from Victor Matfield at lock.
The 3rd change is a rotational switch at hooker – where Bismarck du Plessis returns in the place of Adriaan Strauss, who will move to the bench.
Also amongst the replacements are Pieter-Steph du Toit, Willem Alberts and Jan Serfontein, who provides cover as both centres picked up injuries last week.
Jan Serfontein
Springbok midfielder Jan Serfontein was sitting at home watching the England vs Wales Rugby World Cup clash this past weekend when his phone rang, changing his life altogether.
Serfontein got a call from Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer telling him to ready himself for a trip to join the national team in the wake of Jean de Villiers’ injury.
Arriving late on Monday Serfontein joined the Springbok camp and depending on the injury report may well have to play this coming weekend against Scotland at St James’ Park in the Pool B showdown.
“I was surprised to get the call,” Serfontein admitted, “I was watching the Wales-England game and I got a call from coach Heyneke saying that Jean is injured and that he was considering picking me and he would only confirm it on Sunday.
“I couldn’t sleep the night and got the news on Sunday, but I’m happy to be here now and will do everything I can to contribute.”
Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers successfully completed the 1irst step on his return to playing.
He underwent surgery on his broken jaw in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The Springbok captain was forced out of the Rugby World Cup, following an impact to his jaw in the match against Samoa last Saturday.
The 109-Test centre plans to continue playing, although he announced his international retirement following his exit.
“Jean had surgery in Cape Town this morning and the operation went well,” said Springbok team doctor, Craig Roberts.
“The fractured jaw was plated and his wisdom teeth were removed.”
De Villiers is currently recuperating at home and a decision on returning to England to support the Springbok team will be made in due course.
Juan de Jongh
Fit-again Springbok centre Juan de Jongh returns to captain DHL Western Province in their crunch match against the Xerox Golden Lions.
De Jongh has been out of action since suffering an MCL injury against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in mid-August and his return to fitness is a massive boost for the defending champions ahead of the 2015 play-offs.
De Jongh will start at inside centre ahead of Huw Jones, as the WP coaching staff intends to control his game time upon his return to action.
In other changes to the line-up from the side that beat the Steval Pumas, Cheslin Kolbe, Nic Groom, Chris Cloete, Jean Kleyn and Steven Kitshoff all return to the starting 15.
Bandise Maku
Vodacom Blue Bulls hooker Bandise Maku will play in his 50th ABSA Currie Cup match for his team when they face EP Kings at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
The former Springbok hooker made his Blue Bulls debut way back in 2006 and after stints with the Xerox Golden Lions and Eastern Province, now reaches this milestone in his 73th career Currie Cup appearance.
Maku started in last weekend’s win over the Cell C Sharks, with coach Nollis Marais changing 1 in the pack that fronted up in Durban. RG Snyman starts at lock in his 1st run-on for the senior side, swopping places with Marvin Orie, who will play off the bench. In another change, Corniel Els is on the bench for Jaco Visagie, with the latter out with an ankle sprain.
At the back, Dries Swanepoel is back at centre, replacing Jan Serfontein who received a Rugby World Cup call-up for the Springboks.
His place on the bench will be filled by William Small-Smith.
Sergio Parisse
Following injury Italian captain Sergio Parisse has returned to the Azzurri squad, ahead of their Rugby World Cup encounter with Ireland.
Parisse had a very welcome arrival at Italy’s hotel on Tuesday, when – after a wait of over 2 weeks – the team’s illustrious long-time captain finally joined up with Jacques Brunel’s squad.
While Italy played France and Canada, the 32-year-old No 8 was back home in Paris recuperating and then training under the auspices of his club side, Stade Francais, following surgery earlier in September.
On Monday he was finally given the all clear to join up with the Azzurri, and less than 24 hours later he jumped on Eurostar to whizz to London.
However, there was less good news for Leonardo Ghiraldini, the man who has led the team in Parisse’s absence, but who limped off midway through the 2nd half of Italy’s 23 / 18 win over Canada at Elland Road in Leeds last Saturday.
Waisake Naholo
All Blacks wing Waisake Naholo will make his eagerly-awaited World Cup debut against Georgia in Cardiff on Friday.
Naholo, who made his 1st Test appearance for the All Blacks against Argentina in the Rugby Championship in July, cracked his fibula in that match and team bosses feared he would have to miss the World Cup.
However, thanks to a traditional herbal remedy, the 24-year-old Fiji-born flyer has made a recovery that has astounded the specialists.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Waisake back on the track, he’s been jumping out of his skin at training and I’m sure he can’t wait for game day,” Hanson said.
Hansen has made 10 changes to the starting line-up that defeated Namibia on 24 September with Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino and Julian Savea making a 3rd start.
4 Players were not considered for selection due to injury – Ma’a Nonu (shoulder), Colin Slade (hamstring), Liam Messam (calf) and Beauden Barrett (whiplash).
Nick Jooste
The Brumbies have agreed to 2-year deals with 1 of Australia’s best young talents in flyhalf Nick Jooste and experienced campaigner Andrew Smith, who will return to the nation’s capital in 2016.
At the tender age of 18, Australian Schoolboy and Perth Spirit player, Jooste has already amassed quite the rugby CV, even though he is still a high school student. The Western Australian native has represented his state at Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 levels and also represented the Western Force A side against Singapore.
He was recently selected in the Australian Schools Barbarians side that took on Samoa and New Zealand.
The young flyhalf has been a member of the Hale School’s last 3 Brother Redmond Cup winning seasons, as well as captaining the side in their most recent title. Over his 3 years in the Hale 1st 15 Jooste has tallied in excess of 450 points, scoring more than 25 tries.
In 2015 Jooste has joined the Perth Spirit in the National Rugby Championship and has turned heads with his kicking game, and vision around the field.
Fiji and Wales meet in a Pool A match tomorrow at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. The match is scheduled to kick off at 17:45 SA Time (16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT).
Both teams have made various changes to the their match day squads, with many of these changes being enforced due to injury and in Fiji’s case also in part due to suspensions.
Fiji have made 6 changes to their starting line up since their last game. Winger Timoci Nagusa is 1 of those changes, he slots into the team in place of injured Waisea Nayacalevu. Another change will see scrumhalf Niko Matawalu miss the game due to a slight niggle. Matawalu’s place in the run on team will be taken by Nemia Kenatale. Another big player missing from Fiji’s line up is winger Nemani Nadolo who is serving a 1 week ban for a dangerous tackle against Australia. His vacant berth is being filled by Aseli Tikoirotuma.
Wales have made 3 changes to their starting team from the 1 who started in their win against England on Saturday night. All 3 of the changes Wales have made are in the backline. Tyler Morgan will make his Rugby World Cup debut as he starts at outside centre in place of the injured Scott Williams. Mathew Morgan and Alex Cuthbert start at fullback and wing respectively in place of the injured duo Liam Williams and Hallam Amos.
It is said that time is a great healer, but in Heyneke Meyer’s case it will also be a great revealer.
The Springbok coach has decided to delay his team announcement by 7 hours on Wednesday as he needs more time to resolve the all-important matter of who will wear the captain’s armband in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup clash against Pool B pace-setters Scotland at St James’ Park, Newcastle.
Instead of an 11:00 SA Time (10:00 UK Time) announcement, Meyer will now name his matchday-23 at 19:00 SA Time (18:00 UK Time) on Wednesday evening.
At the heart of the delay is a plethora of injuries which have a direct bearing on the captaincy appointment. Victor Matfield is the obvious choice to replace the injured Jean de Villiers as the captain at world rugby’s showpiece, but the 38-year-old lock has a hamstring strain which he suffered in the 2nd half against Samoa last weekend.
As a result of the lengthy injury list, the Springboks forfeited Monday’s training session as several players were nursing an assortment of niggles. Matfield will have to prove his fitness at Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s training before the Springboks’ medical staff make a call on his availability.
There seems to have been so many injuries already in this tournament which is barely halfway through the group stages. One feels sorry for the players who have had their World Cup short and wish them all a speedy recovery, it just shows what an attritional game Rugby Union is.
We could theorize all day on the possible reasons for all of these injuries: too many games, players bulking up, laws not being sufficient or those that are there not sufficiently enforced, players possibly carrying injuries into the tournament. The harsh reality for those who have been ruled out is that the game involves high speed collisions of big men and they have been reduced to being spectators for the rest of the tournament as well as having to undergo a period of rehabilitation, for some this involves surgery.
A week can be a long time, especially at Rugby World Cup 2015 with the matches flowing thick and fast and players from various teams have suffered tournament ending injuries which has meant call ups for players initially not considered good enough to go to the Rugby World Cup. However, we still thought it would be interesting to share an article that was written a week ago which looks at 10 players who were possibly unlucky to miss out on being selected to represent their countries at this year’s Rugby World Cup.
1 Of the players who is discussed, James Hook, has since been called up as replacement following knee and shoulder injuries to Scot Williams and Hallam Amos which they picked up against England. But the point still stands that he was not initially considered quite good enough by the Wales coaching staff and still not even after injuries to Leigh Halfpenny and Eli Walker.
Do you agree on the players discussed and do you have any players of your own that you think were unlucky to have missed out on selection? One of course also needs to consider that the Rugby World Cup squads can only contain 31 players so someone already in the squad would need to make way for whoever is considered unlucky not to be there.
Jannie du Plessis
Damian de Allende
Jesse Kriel
Victor Matfield
Fourie du Preez
With the Rugby World Cup match against Samoa being called “brutal” by Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts, Jean de Villiers is heading home and out of the Rugby World Cup with a fractured jaw, while a long list of injuries will be assessed on Monday by the team doctor as the team start to prepare for their showdown with Scotland.
Prop Jannie du Plessis (knee), midfielders Damian de Allende (knee) and Jesse Kriel (laceration to the eye), lock Victor Matfield and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez all are on the injury list.
Depending on how they heal overnight, they should all hopefully be declared fit for the Scottish game.
Jean de Villier in action against Samoa on Saturday 26 September 2015.
South Africa’s convincing win against Samoa on Saturday evening, to put their Rugby World Cup path back on track after the shock loss to Japan the week before has come at a considerable cost, with the news that Captain Jean de Villiers has broken the other side of his jaw and will therefore head home back to South Africa and out of the tournament.
As a result of the injury, Jean de Villiers has subsequently announced his retirement from Test rugby.
The silver lining for Jean is the fact that the last time he was injured against Samoa in the Rugby World Cup of 2007, South Africa went on to win the prized title.
Jean de Villiers’ tournament ending injury:
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup after suffering a fracture to his jaw.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer described this latest injury to De Villiers as a massive setback.
Jan Serfontein has been called up and will join the squad in Newcastle on Monday. An announcement on the captaincy for the match against Scotland will be made on Wednesday.
Mariano Galarza
Rugby World Cup disciplinary chiefs on Wednesday banned Argentina’s Mariano Galarza for 9 weeks, excluding him from the rest of the tournament, after an incident with New Zealand’s Brodie Retallick.
Galarza was found guilty of making “contact with the eye or eye area” of Retallick during the Pumas 26 / 16 defeat by the world champion All Blacks at Wembley on Sunday.
The giant Argentine, 28, denied the charge. He did not get the maximum sentence because of his good disciplinary record up to now.
Lappies Labuschagne
Lappies Labuschagne will on Friday play in his 50th ABSA Currie Cup match when he leads the Vodacom Blue Bulls on the field in Durban for their clash against the Cell C Sharks.
The flanker reverts back to the side of the scrum due to the wrist injury to Roelof Smit (see below), with Arno Botha, who started on the bench against DHL WP last week, back in the No 8 jersey.
This is the only change to the pack made by Vodacom Blue Bulls coach, Nollis Marais, with 2 rotational switches in the backline made for the Durban clash.
Tian Schoeman and Jan Serfontein will start at flyhalf and centre respectively, switching places with Louis Fouché and Dries Swanepoel, who both move to the bench for this clash.
Ruan Steenkamp is on the bench for Botha, in what could be a Vodacom Blue Bulls and ABSA Currie Cup debut, should the former Junior Springboks captain take to the field.
Alwyn Hollenbach
Xerox Golden Lions centre Alwyn Hollenbach has been forced to retire from rugby with immediate effect, due to an recurring shoulder injury.
The 30-year-old Hollenbach joined the Lions rugby family in 2009 and has since represented the union 37 times in the Currie Cup, 24 times in Super Rugby and 19 times in the Vodacom Cup.
The centre has been struggling with the same shoulder injury for quite some time and in 2014 it worsened during Super Rugby against the Brumbies. It is the same shoulder that he injured this year in the Currie Cup against the Pumas.
Wynand Olivier
English Premiership side Worcester Warriors have captured the signing of Springbok Wynand Olivier as their latest import.
The powerful centre joins up with his new teammates immediately ahead of Warriors’ clash with Wasps this Saturday 26 September.
Olivier has represented South Africa 38 times with his last appearance coming in June 2014 in a win over Wales.
Richie McCaw
All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw pleaded guilty to a “dumb” moment which saw him sin-binned as his side struggled to beat Argentina in their Rugby World Cup opener.
McCaw, the most capped player in Test rugby, got a Yellow Card for tripping Argentina’s Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe half an hour into the game.
The Pumas took advantage of his 10 minutes of exile and later of the Yellow Card of Conrad Smith to stamp their authority on the Pool C game.
“It was dumb,” McCaw said of the incident.
“It was a reflex thing. It wasn’t the right thing to do and we suffered because of it and put the team under pressure, which you can’t afford to do,” the much respected captain said after.
The sentiment was shared by New Zealand coach Steve Hansen who said: “The 2 Yellow Cards today were pretty dumb.
Cory Allen
Wales centre Cory Allen, who scored 3 of his country’s 8 tries in their Rugby World Cup opener against Uruguay, was ruled out of the rest of the tournament by a hamstring tear on Monday.
The Welsh, already rocked by injuries to key backs Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb in their final warm-up match, had 6 players added to their casualty list during Sunday’s 54 / 9 victory in Cardiff.
Allen pulled up with the injury in the 2nd half and after having scans was replaced in the squad by Tyler Morgan, who joins Scott Williams and Jamie Roberts to restore the number of specialist centres in the squad to 3.
British and Irish Lions centre Jonathan Davies was ruled out of the tournament by a knee injury.
Wales next face England in a Twickenham clash on Saturday, which could go a long way to deciding which teams progress from Pool A, which also includes Australia and Fiji.
Yoann Huget
French coach Philippe Saint-Andre confirmed on Sunday that wing Yoann Huget is out for the rest of the Rugby World Cup after injuring his knee.
A tearful Huget was forced off during France’s 32 / 10 victory over Italy in their opening Rugby World Cup match on Saturday.
His place was taken by Castres wing Remy Grosso.
He has injured the ligaments in his right knee, Saint-Andre said in an interview.
Luke Watson
Eastern Province Kings flank Luke Watson will have an operation for a knee contusion, with a cartilage flap on Wednesday.
The inspirational leader has been a peripheral figure for the past 2 seasons because of injury.
The EP Kings have been struggling to build momentum and Watson’s presence would have been a huge lift for the men from the windy city.
The EP Kings released their latest injury report on Monday.
Wing Siyanda Grey is the only new injury concern after the weekend’s 9 / 20 loss to the Steval Pumas in Nelspruit.
Stefan Watermeyer
Stefan Watermeyer’s return to the Pumas team over the past 2 weeks has immediately made a positive impact to the team’s fortunes.
They put in a spirited performance against the Cell C Sharks in Durban a fortnight ago, and they managed to squeeze out a victory over the Eastern Province Kings over the weekend.
However, the inspirational captain might be out for this week’s clash against an in-form DHL Western Province at Newlands.
Watermeyer will be rested for the week with a grade 1 tear to his hamstring – he will have a final medical clearance done later this week.
Fullback Hoffmann Maritz will also wait for a medical clearance this week after he sustained a grade 1 tear of his anckle ligament.
Michael Wells
The Brumbies have announced the signing of exciting young flanker Michael Wells to the club’s Extended Playing Squad (EPS).
A dynamic loose forward by trade, Wells was selected to the Australian Sevens Program for the 2014 / 2015 Sevens World Series. He has also represented Australian Schoolboys and Australia at the Under 20 level and played for Northern Suburbs in Sydney’s Shute Shield for the past 2 years.
The 22-year was 1st noticed by Super Rugby clubs while playing for the North Harbour Rays in the 2014 National Rugby Championship.
The St. Ignatius Riverview product can play in a number of backrow positions and will link with the Brumbies’ EPS for the 2016 Super Rugby season.
Brumbies Director of Rugby Dan McKellar says Wells will be a valuable addition to next season’s squad.