Injuries
Hooker Benjamin Kayser is to miss France’s three-test tour of Australia in June because of a neck injury, his club Clermont said on Wednesday.
The Cheetahs have been dealt a blow with the news that scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius is ruled out with an ankle injury.
Henry Speight has recovered from a broken jaw making him available for the Brumbies against the Cheetahs clash in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Speight is also itching to stake his claim for a long-awaited Wallabies berth with only five rounds plus finals remaining to prove himself to Test coach Ewen McKenzie.
The Stormers have been boosted by the news that Demetri Catrakilis and Kobus van Wyk have been cleared for selection ahead of their Super Rugby match against the Western Force at Newlands on Saturday.
Catrakilis has not played since breaking his nose against the Lions on 19 April, whilst Van Wyk’s wrist injury – suffered against the Highlanders on 3 May – has healed a lot quicker than initially anticipated.
Scott Williams has become the latest player to rule himself out of Wales’s tour to South Africa in June.
The Scarlets’ centre had hoped he would have recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained playing for Wales against Ireland in the Six Nations.
Lopeti Timani has been declared fit to return to play following a knee injury which has seen him sidelined for nearly two months.
The powerful backrow-forward, who can also play at lock, will most likely return via the Dewar Shield before looking to add to his maiden Rebels cap against the Western Force in Round 2.
Scarra Ntubeni fractured a metatarsal in his left foot as the DHL Stormers suffered a 12-28 away defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.
The Springbok tourist – who was out of action for a few weeks with a calf-muscle injury earlier in the tournament – is now set for a minimum lay-off of at least eight weeks.
The Brumbies have paid a dear after toppling former coach Jake White’s Sharks at the weekend.
Star wing Joe Tomane’s Super Rugby season may have come to an end, the result of a fractured cheekbone suffered in the 16-9 top-of-the-table win in Canberra.
All Blacks utility back Charles Piutau has been ruled out of next month’s Test series against England due to a knee injury.
On Friday night Toulouse locked horns against Racing Metro in the Top 14 playoffs for a much-anticipated game at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Nineteen minutes in, with Racing Metro 6-3 up, Toulouse’s centre Florian Fritz was tackled and as a result made contact with the onrushing knee of Racing Metro’s Francois Van Der Merwe.
It was a sickening blow, with the results clearly shown on television, as Fritz had blood pouring down his face and splattered on his arm. As play stopped and Toulouse’s medics tended to Fritz, it was clear he was visibly dazed. He had to be escorted off the pitch and stumbled onto the ground when he decided to walk off instead of being carried off on a stretcher.
Shane Christie has been ruled out of this weekend’s game against the Lions with a back injury that was sustained during training on Thursday.
The Cheetahs have drafted in Boela Serfontein, the older brother of Springbok centre Jan, for their Super Rugby clash against the Force in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Boela, 25, is four years older than younger brother Jan, and yet to make his Super Rugby debut.
England have lost Billy Twelvetrees for most of their tour of New Zealand after he sustained an ankle injury that will keep him out of action for 6 weeks.
Gloucester centre Twelvetrees sustained the ankle injury playing for his Premiership club in the first half of last week’s match against London Irish.
Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph, has named the team to play the Lions at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night.
The squad returned home to Dunedin after claiming seven points from a possible 10 following a one-point loss to the Stormers in Round 12.
Lima Sopoaga has been ruled out of this week’s clash with an ankle sprain and is anticipated to be sidelined until Round 15.
British and Irish Lions forwards Alex Corbisiero, Tom Croft and Tom Youngs will miss England’s forthcoming tour of New Zealand.
Croft and Corbisiero have recently returned to full fitness but are not yet considered ready for what is set to be a gruelling three-Test series against the world champion All Blacks.
Meanwhile Leicester hooker Youngs will miss the June campaign to help support his wife, who is having treatment for an illness.
The Crusaders have made the decision not to play Kieran Read against the Reds in Brisbane this Sunday as he continues to recover from concussion suffered against the Chiefs in Round 10.
Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder said that, while Read is recovering well, the symptoms have not completely cleared so the coaches decided it would be preferable to make a call early in the week and take him out of contention for the next game.
The Sharks have suffered another injury setback as on-the-mend flyhalf Fred Zeilinga has been sent home and replaced by Jaco van Tonder.
Zeilinga injured his hamstring against the Lions at Ellis Park in Round Nine after jostling for a position at flyhalf with Tim Swiel and Frans Steyn following Pat Lambie’s departure.
Allister Coetzee says his teams susceptibility to injury this season is purely bad luck and that conditioning and other factors cannot be blamed.
With five high profile injuries coming out of the Stormers’ single point victory over the Highlanders, the Cape side are once again licking their wounds.
The Springbok Sevens will be without regular squad member Stephan Dippenaar in this weekend’s London Sevens to be played at Twickenham.
Net toe die Cheetahs se diepte begin beter lyk het, het die beseringspook weer in hul kamp toegeslaan.
Dié sentrale streekspan sal Saterdag hier in sy Superrugby-wedstryd teen die Western Force sonder die beseerde flank Jean Cook (skouer) én slot Ligtoring Landman (kuit) moet klaarkom.
Wat die terugslae erger maak, is dat dit in posisies is waar Naka Drotské, die Cheetahs se afrigter, se span reeds uitgedun is.
Boonop sukkel die vleuel Raymond Rhule (enkel) ook met ’n besering, maar kan hy volgens Drotské nog betyds herstel.
The struggling Reds have been dealt a triple injury blow, with Liam Gill, Chris Feauai-Sautia and Eddie Quirk all ruled out for multiple weeks.
The Cell C Sharks have suffered a major blow as Springbok fetcher Marcell Coetzee has been sent home and will play no further part in the tour.
Coetzee returned to Durban after suffering a tour-ending injury on Friday against the Rebels.
The Rebels may be able to call upon the services of prop Toby Smith against the Hurricanes this week, but will be without scrumhalf Nic Stirzaker.
The Blues have suffered a double blow in their midfield as both Francis Saili and Jackson Willison have been sidelined for extended periods of time.
Hooker Scarra Ntubeni and wing Sailosi Tagicakibau are back in the selection frame for the Stormers ahead of this coming weekend’s home Super Rugby clash against the Highlanders, the Stormers’ official website reports.
Ntubeni has not featured for the Stormers since their tour-opener against the Crusaders back in early March, but his return – along with Tagicakibau’s – will be a major boost to his team.
The Cheetahs will be able to call on the services of Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen and Johan Goosen for their Super Rugby clash against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Piet van Zyl will not be able to take on his former Toyota Cheetahs team mates at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as the Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf still suffers from a knee injury picked up on the Australasian tour.
The player will miss another week of Vodacom Super Rugby action as he recovers from his MCL injury, Vodacom Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed.
The Highlanders will be without two key players in their Super Rugby clash against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.
Patrick Osborne and prop Craig Millar were injured in their 34-18 win over the Sharks in Durban last Friday and will return home to New Zealand.
Blues captain Luke Braid suffered a shoulder injury during Friday’s match against the Waratahs and is likely to miss this Friday’s game against the Reds.
Brendon O’Connor will be first in line to replace Braid on the openside flank if the skipper doesn’t recover.
After a rocky start to the Super Rugby season, the stars are aligning for Todd Blackadder’s Crusaders with Richie McCaw set to return from a long injury layoff and help drive the side toward the playoffs.
The All Black skipper has been sidelined with a broken thumb for the past two months but may ease back into the action off the bench against the high-flying Brumbies in Christchurch on Saturday.
Kurtley Beale needs surgery to remove a bone spur from his foot but the Australia utility back plans to delay the operation and keep on playing until he gets some off from rugby or the pain becomes unbearable.
The 25-year-old limped off during last week’s Waratahs’ 19-12 victory over South Africa’s Bulls with what many suspected was an ankle injury that forced him to miss training on Tuesday.
The Waratahs are unconcerned that injured playmaker Kurtley Beale might not train at all before tackling the Blues at Eden Park on Friday.
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has placed Beale in cotton wool this week, giving the midfield provider every chance and all the time he needs to overcome an ankle injury in time to take the field in Super Rugby’s Anzac Day blockbuster on Friday.
The Cheetahs are hoping to have two key players available for their Super Rugby clash against the Stormers in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
According to reports, flyhalf Johan Goosen (concussion) and flank Lappies Labuschagné (groin) could be ready to face the Capetonians.
There are suggestions that Pat Lambie could still make a comeback before the play-offs in July.
Holders Toulon look set to be able to call on influential flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson and hooker Craig Burden for the European Cup semifinal against Munster.
The pair, out injured for the past two weeks, have reported fit and both turned out for training on Monday.