Injuries
Simon Hickey injured
New Zealand’s Under 20 side has been dealt a blow with captain Simon Hickey out for the remainder of the Junior World Championship.
The play-maker has been instrumental for the Under 20 host nation along side his Blues Super Rugby team-mate, Tevita Li.
Hickey came off in the second half of New Zealand’s final pool match against Scotland on Tuesday with an ankle pain.
Juan de Jongh
Marnitz Boshoff
Juan de Jongh and Marnitz Boshoff will not be considered for selection for Saturday’s Castle Lager Incoming Series Test against Wales in Durban because of illness and injury.
De Jongh was admitted to a Durban hospital on Sunday evening with a severe chest infection. He will in all likelihood only be discharged by Wednesday and will not be ready to take on Wales this weekend.
Boshoff rolled his right ankle at training in Cape Town last week. He has a grade one ankle sprain and the Springbok medical team are hopeful that he would be able to start training again late this week.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was ruled out of the rest England’s tour of New Zealand, after injuring his knee in training last week.
The uncapped Exeter forward was part of the England squad that flew to New Zealand late last month, but played no part in the tourists’ 15-20 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.
“Unfortunately he has not been able to take a full part in training,” England coach Stuart Lancaster said.
Kieran Read
The New Zealand media are again speculating about the immediate future of their best player, No 8 Kieran Read.
According to Newstalk ZB Read is again a doubtful starter ahead of the second Test against England in Dunedin this coming Saturday.
Read, the reigning IRB Player of the Year, is still feeling the effects of two concussions which have sidelined him for much of this year’s Super Rugby competition and missed this past weekend’s 20-15 win over England in Auckland.
Arno van Wyk
Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 21 hooker Arno van Wyk has joined the Junior Springboks in Auckland after a knee injury forced Malcolm Marx (Golden Lions) out of the IRB Junior World Championship.
Marx might be out of action for up to six weeks after he sustained the injury during a training session earlier in the week.
The burly Johannesburg-based hooker became the second Junior Bok to be ruled out of Junior World Championship 2014 after centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg returned home with an ankle injury.
Jean Luc du Preez, who received a nasty blow to the head against New Zealand Under-20 on Friday night, was meanwhile released from hospital during the early hours of Saturday morning.
Wallabies captain, Stephen Moore, goes off injured against France
Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore has said Sunday he will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury that has left him needing surgery following Australia’s 50-23 thumping of France.
In a further blow to the Wallabies following their comprehensive first Test victory over France on Saturday, lock Sam Carter was also ruled out of the rest of the three-match French series with a high left ankle strain.
Scans revealed that hooker Moore ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and medial ligament in the opening minute of the first Test win over France in Brisbane.
“I’m going to need some surgery to repair my ACL/MCL.”
Kieran Read
Sam Cane
All Blacks loose forward Kieran Read has been withdrawn from the New Zealand side for the first Test against England on Saturday due to ongoing concerns over concussion-like symptoms, while Sam Cane has been ruled out of the three-match series with a knee injury.
Bullocking winger Julian Savea is also a doubt for the opening clash at Eden Park with a long-standing knee injury that will require a scan later on Tuesday.
Francois Steyn
The good news is that the chronic knee injury that Frans Steyn is currently playing with won’t get worse and stop him from playing, but the bad news is that it is going to have to be managed for the rest of his playing career.
Steyn was the subject of quite a lot of consternation when Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said he was concerned about his condition during last week’s national training camp in Durban. However, the Bok management denied suggestions in some media forums that they were unhappy with the Sharks for playing Steyn through the injury, and it now appears the Boks might manage Steyn in the same way the Sharks have – by limiting the load placed on his affected knee in training.
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was forced to make two changes to his travelling squad prior to their departure for the tour of Argentina.
Versatile back Keith Earls has been ruled out due to illness (gastroenteritis), while prop Martin Moore, who helped Leinster retain the PRO12 title, will not travel as he is nursing a fractured toe.
Damian de Allende with crutches
DHL Stormers midfielder Damian de Allende was forced to withdraw from the Springbok squad on Monday and will be replaced by Marnitz Boshoff, flyhalf of the Golden Lions.
De Allende, one of seven uncapped players in the Springbok squad, suffered a medial knee ligament injury in the DHL Stormers’ last Vodacom Super Rugby match, against the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The 22-year-old centre was taken for scans by the Springboks’ medical team on Monday morning and will be sidelined for between four and six weeks, ruling him out of the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
Damian de Allende
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer may find himself considering a change in plan for the midfield he was going to select for the opening match of the international season against the World XV at Newlands due to the injury concern over Damian de Allende.
The centre suffered a knee injury during the second half of the Stormers’ 21-19 win over the Sharks in Durban at the weekend, and Meyer said on Sunday that he was concerned about his condition.
“The doctor hasn’t looked at him yet but he is limping and it appears he has suffered a knee ligament injury. I was only informed of it late on Saturday night, after the squad had been announced,” said Meyer.
Jake White
Cell C Sharks coach Jake White agreed that the last gasp defeat to the DHL Stormers in the final Vodacom Super Rugby match before the June break was a massive blow to his team, but he refused at the post-match press conference to let the disappointment cloud his perspective.
“Look, if you had asked me at the start of the competition if I would buy a situation where we would be going into the June break at the top of the log by two points with two matches for us to play, I would happily have brought that,” said White.
Deon Fourie
The Stormers will be without the services of hooker Deon Fourie for their Super Rugby match against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
While coach Allister Coetzee on Thursday named Fourie as his starting hooker for the game at Kings Park, it has been revealed that he had to pull out due to concussion.
This means the inexperienced Stephan Coetzee moves into the starting team to face Sharks captain Bismarck du Plessis, while Mike Willemse is likely to take Coetzee’s place on the bench.
Francois Steyn
Cell C Sharks backline star Frans Steyn is unlikely to feature for the Springboks in the June Internationals.
Steyn was one of 10 players who took no or little part in the field sessions at the Springbok training camp in Durban, which concluded on Wednesday.
Steyn has been suffering from a chronic knee dysfunction which has been managed by Sharks and upon a request from his franchise, the load on his knee was limited by keeping him out of training.
While the severity of the injury will only be confirmed later in the week, Steyn is expected to miss the June internationals. It is also possible that Steyn could miss the latter stages of Super Rugby, which would be a body blow to the Sharks.
Manuel Carizza
Argentinian lock Manuel Carizza looks set to make a return to Super Rugby after an injury-enforced lay-off from the game.
The towering second-row forward tore wrist ligaments early in the season when playing in the Stormers’ second game of the 2014 season.
He looked in fine nick at Monday’s training session at City Park, and Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said he’ll be considered for the run-on XV for Saturday’s derby against the table-topping Sharks in Durban.
Wing Kobus van Wyk, one of the four try-scorers against the Cheetahs last weekend, has another wrist injury and he will possibly be sidelined for three weeks.
Aaron Cruden
Kieran Read
Steve Hansen has put a timer on flyhalf Aaron Cruden and No.8 Kieran Read to get match fit if they are to be slected for the first Test against England after lenghthy lay-offs.
Read is no longer feeling the symptoms of concussion and is fit and ready to play in the Crusaders last game before the international break.
The burly No 8 looked back to his old self as he ran with the national squad and All Blacks coach Steve Hansen indicated his star forward was likely to make his much awaited return for the Crusaders this weekend.
Schalk Burger
Experienced flank Schalk Burger is in doubt for the Stormers’ clash against the Sharks in Durban this weekend as he continues to battle with a neck injury.
Burger injured his neck in a tackle from Coenie Oosthuizen in the Stormers’ 33-0 victory over the Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday and will be assessed again later in the week but at this stage is considered a 50/50 chance to face the Sharks at Kings Park.
Wing Kobus van Wyk will not be considered for selection, having re-injured his wrist which has ruled him out for the next three weeks.
Jean de Villiers
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers will miss the Castle Lager Incoming Series next month after he was ruled out for approximately eight weeks with a knee injury.
After experiencing some discomfort in his left knee on Saturday morning, De Villiers was pulled out of the DHL Stormers’ Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Toyota Cheetahs.
De Villiers underwent a scope in Cape Town on Sunday morning and the prognosis is that he will be out of action for almost two months. He will hopefully be back by the start of Castle Lager Rugby Championship in August.
Daniel du Preez
Injured Sharks lock Daniel du Preez has been withdrawn from the South African Under-20 squad that will travel to New Zealand on Monday for the upcoming IRB Junior World Championship (JWC).
The 18-year old former SA Schools player is replaced by Johannes Vermeulen of Western Province.
Francois Louw
Ruan Pienaar
Overseas-based Springboks Francois Louw and Ruan Pienaar will be ready for action by the time the Boks play their first game this year.
Flanker Louw, who plays for Bath in England, has recovered from an ankle injury which ruled him out for the last nine weeks. He is expected to play for Bath in their Amlin Challenge Cup final against Northampton Saints at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday.
Scrumhalf Pienaar has also returned to action for his Irish club, Ulster, after being sidelined for four weeks.
Jean de Villiers
Schalk Burger
Vice-captain Schalk Burger and captain Jean de Villiers are both back in the DHL Stormers team for Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Cheetahs at DHL Newlands, kick-off 17:05 SA Time.
Tickets for this weekend can be bought online at TicketPros, or from selected Spar stores or PostNet outlets/stores. Ticket prices start at R50 for standing and R80 for seating.
Burger missed last weekend’s 24-8 win over the Force, whilst De Villiers returns after a two-week lay-off.
Eben Etzebeth on the comeback trail
DHL Stormers behemoth Eben Etzebeth was named in the national training squad for next week’s camp in Durban, but it now seems unlikely that he will play for the Springboks in the June Test matches.
The big lock was doing his own drills with the fitness trainer as the Stormers trained on Monday as he gets used to putting weight on the ankle that was operated on after last year’s Springbok tour of the UK and France. But after saying at the weekend that Etzebeth had an outside chance of being ready to play against the Sharks on 31 May, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has now ruled out that possibility.
Centre Jaque Fourie is unlikely to feature for the Springboks this year due to an ankle injury.
According to reports, Fourie will undergo an ankle operation on Tuesday which could keep him out of the game for up to six months.
The Lions medical staff have released an injury update, following the Vodacom Super Rugby outfit’s 41-13 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney on Sunday.
Unfortunately utility backs Lionel Mapoe (MCL), Courtnall Skosan (Hamstring) and forward Derick Minnie (concussion) have returned to South Africa this morning. They will undergo further scans and tests upon their arrival.
Coenie van Wyk and Alwyn Hollenbach departs for Perth on Monday evening in order to provide cover.
The team is still extremely positive and will be hungry to get their first win while on tour, against the Force on Saturday.
The DHL Stormers, fresh off their 24-8 win over the Force at the weekend, were further boosted on Monday with some good news in the injury department.
The Men from the Cape will host the Cheetahs in Cape Town this coming Saturday and the likes of Oli Kebble, Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers and Sailosi Tagicakibau will be considered for selection once again.
Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper faces a 16-week recovery after MRI scans confirmed he requires surgery to heal an AC joint injury suffered against the Melbourne Rebels.
Cooper will undergo surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday to repair a Grade Three AC joint injury in his left shoulder after he fell on it awkwardly in a tackle.
The Chiefs have been given a big boost for this week’s Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes as Aaron Cruden has been cleared to make his return this week.
Cruden’s return will be a big boost for the Chiefs as well as the All Blacks who face England in a three Test series next month.
First-five Cruden has been training with the All Blacks in Christchurch but has not featured for the Chiefs since the beginning of April.
The Melbourne Rebels face a crisis at scrumhalf as Luke Burgess has been ruled out for up to two months of Super Rugby with a knee injury.
Burgess was hoping to play against his former team the Waratahs this weekend but he injured his knee in the Club’s victory over the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
The injury is a blow to the side, who are already without the services of fellow scrumhalf Nic Stirzaker, leaving rookie Ben Meehan and experienced injury replacement Josh Holmes to battle for the nine jersey against the Waratahs.
England were left with an anxious wait to discover if full-back Mike Brown would be fit for next month’s tour of New Zealand after the full-back was injured in a gruelling Premiership semifinal on Saturday.
Harlequins star Brown, player of the tournament in this season’s Six Nations Championship, went off with a hamstring injury midway through the second half of his side’s 31-17 semifinal loss away to Saracens.
England coach Stuart Lancaster is already without regular full-back alternatives in Saracens’ Alex Goode and Northampton’s Ben Foden for the first of a three-test series against the world champion All Blacks in Auckland on June 7 as the pair will be required for the Premiership final at Twickenham seven days earlier.
Harlequins’ director of rugby Conor O’Shea, himself a former Ireland full-back, tried to still fears about the health of England’s first-choice No 15.
Versatile Vodacom Blue Bulls midfielder Rohan Janse van Rensburg has replaced his injured provincial team mate Duncan Matthews (wing) in the Junior Springboks squad for 2014 IRB Junior World Championship.
New Zealand will stage the 2014 JWC for the first time from 2 to 20 June in Auckland. Matthews was ruled out of action due to a back injury.
Mercurial Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper looks likely to miss his side’s June Tests against France due to a shoulder injury.
The Cheetahs have been forced into a late change ahead of their Super Rugby clash with the Brumbies in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Kieran Read and Israel Dagg will be on the sidelines when the Crusaders take on Super Rugby leaders the Sharks in Christchurch on Saturday.
The All Black No 8 Read has missed the Crusaders’ past two matches, including last weekend’s 57-29 win over the Reds in Brisbane, after his second head knock in a month forced him off the field against the Chiefs in mid-April.
There was welcome news for the Stormers and Springboks on Wednesday when lock Eben Etzebeth was spotted training at Newlands.
Etzebeth, 22, has been out of action since injuring his ankle playing for the Springboks against France in Paris last November.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett was forced to make changes to his starting line-up for Friday’s all-New Zealand Super Rugby derby against the Highlanders.
Injured All Black hooker Dane Coles will miss his first Hurricanes match of the season.
Coles injured his lower back against the Rebels and the status of the injury is unclear.