Injuries
Deon Fourie may not get the opportunity to lift the Absa Currie Cup for a second consecutive time at Newlands on Saturday.
DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee confirmed at an early Monday morning press conference at the High Performance Centre in Bellville that his talismanic skipper, who led the team to victory as underdogs in last year’s decider in Durban, may be a doubtful starter for the final against the Sharks. There is also an element of doubt over lock De Kock Steenkamp.
As we approach the final of the Currie Cup this weekend, all is not well in the Sharks camp.
There is the possibility that Bismarck du Plessis will miss the final due to a citing for stamping and in addition there is a couple of injuries to key players, which does not make things any easier.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and winger Cory Jane have both been sidelined due to injury from the third and final Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies in Dunedin (Otago Regional Stadium) on Saturday, both having picked up late injuries at training, the All Blacks said.
Wallabies wings Joe Tomane and Chris Feauai-Sautia are the latest backline players to have been ruled out of Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks due to injury.
This comes just a day after inside centre and leading goal-kicker Christian Lealiifano was ruled out of the Bledisloe Cup clash with an ankle injury.
Juan de Jongh’s status as a doubtful starter for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup semifinal against the MTN Golden Lions at DHL Newlands has increased the likelihood of Springbok captain Jean de Villiers moving away from his usual inside centre position in the DHL Western Province team for the game.
Wallaby goal-kicker Christian Leali’ifano has been ruled out of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand with an ankle injury.
Scotland have revealed that fullback Stuart Hogg will miss this year’s Autumn Internationals (End Of Year Tours) due to an injury.
Centre Michael van der Spuy could feature in midfield for Western Province when they tackle the Sharks in a Currie Cup encounter in Durban on Saturday.
Juan de Jongh is struggling with a hamstring injury and according to backline coach Robbie Fleck his chances of being declared fit is “50-50”.
South African-born Ireland hooker Richardt Strauss has been ruled out for the rest of the season because of a heart condition that will require surgery.
Injury is likely to rule Golden Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies out for the remainder of the Currie Cup season.
The All Blacks headed to South Africa on Monday banking on the return of talismanic captain Richie McCaw to put the seal on another successful season.
Although New Zealand require just a single bonus point to retain their Rugby Championship title, they are determined to seal it by beating arch rivals South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.
And the All Blacks are confident they will have McCaw in their arsenal.
Springbok Johan Goosen’s hopes of a comeback for the year-end tour has been dashed.
The 21-year-old has undergone surgery to remove an inflamed appendix.
In a Springbok medical update, it still seems as though some players are still recovering from minor niggles as a result of the last test against the All Blacks.
With the end of year tours just over six weeks away there is some bad news for two of the top centres who would have been looking forward for turning out for their countries against Southern Hemisphere opponents. England’s Manu Tuilagi joins team mate Brad Barritt on the sidelines while Lions and Wales centre Jamie Roberts also looks set to miss out on the action due to injury.
DHL Western Province have probably lost Juan de Jongh for their next two matches after the centre was called up by the Springboks on Sunday, but they should be significantly boosted for Friday’s crucial Absa Currie Cup clash with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
WP were set back before their match against the GWK Griquas at Newlands at the start of the weekend by the late withdrawal of big blindside flanker Rynhardt Elstadt.
Plagued by injuries to key players, GWK Griquas coach Pote Human was forced to reshuffle his starting line-up for the Absa Currie Cup encounter against DHL Western Province at Newlands on Friday evening.
Utility forward Carel Greeff has been ruled out for the next couple of weeks after he broke his hand in Griquas’ home game against the Sharks last weekend in Kimberley.
The Barbarians have confirmed that Schalk Burger will join Springbok captain Jean de Villiers in the team to take on Fiji at Twickenham in November.
The World Cup-winning Springbok flank has been sidelined through injury and illness since the start of last year, but it appears he is set to make his return to the international stage in what will be his fourth appearance for the Barbarians.
Bad news in the Wallaby camp seems to be at the order of the day.
This is turning into a year that Australia will never want to relive.
Western Province’s Springbok hooker Tiaan Liebenberg could be out of action for the rest of the Currie Cup season.
Although he announced last Wednesday the five-times capped Bok, who was battling with back spasms, could be out for two or three weeks, WP coach Allister Coetzee said in Cape Town on Monday that latest scans show that Liebenberg may have suffered spinal disc damage.
With the All Blacks having beaten the Springboks over the weekend, in The Rugby Championship, they have extended their lead to four points over the second placed Springboks.
It would however seem that not everything is sunny in the All Black camp though.
Australian coach Ewen McKenzie will give regular captain Horwill till Saturday to prove his fitness, ahead of a two-match Rugby Championship tour.
Horwill, who missed the last two Tests with a hamstring strain, is given a good chance of being passed fit for the Tests against South Africa (in Cape Town on September 28) and Argentina (in Rosario a week later).
Two of the Free State Cheetahs’ key forwards have been ruled out of their Currie Cup crunch match with the Golden Lions in Bloemfontein on Friday.
No.8 Philip van der Walt (shoulder) and lock Lodewyk de Jager (concussion) have both succumb to their respective injuries.
This would a be a year the Sharks would like to forget as they have been plagued with injuries and it seems that their injury woes are not over yet.
It would seem the newest victim is 34 year old lock Marco Wentzel, who suffered a shoulder dislocation. There has been no time frame linked with his recovery.
The Wallabies have brought in two Waratahs forwards to bolster the squad, in the form of Dave Dennis and Sitaleki Timani.
They have been called up as replacements for the injured James Horwill and Jake Schatz, who will be sidelined for six weeks with injuries.
With All Black captain Richie McCaw potentially ruled out for the rest of The Rugby Championship, coach Steve Hansen has called up Crusader flanker Matt Todd.
Pat McCabe is looking to make a return to Super Rugby next year and get back on the test radar.
After re-fracturing his C1 vertebra in June and the second time since November last year he has been cleared to start running and will most likely join the Brumbies in their pre-season training.
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has been forced to make a late change at hooker ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Sharks at Newlands.
Tiaan Liebenberg has been ruled out with a back spasm, meaning Siyabonga Ntubeni will start in the No.2 jersey and young Michael Willemse will warm the bench.
Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will be given time to recover from illness as the team prepares to face the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday.
DHL Western Province may have suffered a blow to their chances of scoring the win they need against the Sharks to go to the top of the Absa Currie Cup log with the news that there is an injury cloud hanging over hooker Tiaan Liebenberg.
Argentina will welcome back a key figure, in one of four changes to the starting fifteen to take on New Zealand in a Rugby Championship Round Three match in Hamilton on Saturday.
Having missed the opening games of the competition captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe returns at blindside flank, with Pablo Matera shifting to openside and Juan Manual Leguizamon moving to No.8.
The All Blacks look set to welcome back star flyhalf Dan Carter from injury as they returned to training ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Pumas next weekend.
The bulk of the squad – excluding 10 players who were released for provincial duty – reassembled for their first training session in Hamilton on Sunday following a timely week-long break.
The Free State Cheetahs suffered a cruel blow ahead of their Currie Cup crunch match against Griquas in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Prop Caylib Oosthuizen is a doubtful starter for the Round Four encounter after injuring his shoulder in a freak training ground mishap on Monday.
Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie confirmed to this website that the injury is a “big worry” and that the powerful prop is going for scans to determine the full extent of the damaged.
The latest flyhalf injury to hit the All Blacks seems a minor setback for coach Steve Hansen whose major issue appears to be who to cut when all players are fit.
Tom Taylor, New Zealand’s fourth-ranked flyhalf, has been sidelined for three weeks with a rib injury suffered late in Saturday’s 27-16 win over Australia where he made his Test debut with a confident display.
New Zealand suffered a triple blow ahead of their return match against Australia in Wellington on Saturday.
All Black pivot Aaron Cruden and his back-up Beauden Barrett have both been ruled out of the Rugby Championship Round Two clash.
Australia, still reeling from the humiliating 29-47 loss to New Zealand last week, have had injury added to the insult.
Wallaby back row forward Hugh McMeniman will miss the remainder of the Rugby Championship and also the year-end tour after being forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury.