JP Du Plessis
Following their 37 / 21 Currie Cup defeat to the Xerox Golden Lions in Johannesburg at the weekend, the EP Kings have reported new injury concerns.
- Lock Cameron Lindsay suffered a knee injury in the defeat and will see a specialist on Wednesday.
- Centre Ronnie Cooke picked up a toe injury and was sent for X-rays on Monday.
- JP du Plessis who replaced Cook, also suffered an injury. Du Plessis has a soft tissue knee injury and will be monitored during the week.
- Lock Steven Stykes – who missed last week’s clash due to a rib injury – will also be monitored during the week.
Players on the long-term injury list include flyhalf / centre Shane Gates (foot), flank Jacques Engelbrecht (hip), lock David Bulbring (shoulder), flyhalf Gary van Aswegen (knee), flank Aidon Davis (knee) and flyhalf / fullback George Whitehead (knee).
Maks van Dyk
Tighthead prop Maks van Dyk has completed his move to the EP Kings, where he hopes to make an impact in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby.
Van Dyk has been based at Griquas since last year, which saw him play Super Rugby for the Cheetahs in 2014 and 2015.
It’s been a notable rise for the former Junior Springbok front-rower, who was part of the South African squad that lifted the Under 20 World Championship trophy at Newlands in 2012.
From Durban (where he was based at the Sharks between 2011 and 2013) to Kimberley to Bloemfontein, the 23-year-old has a new home in Port Elizabeth, where he has signed a 2-year contract with the Kings.
JP du Plessis
The Toyota Cheetahs have made another signing, luring former Melbourne Rebels and Stormers midfielder JP du Plessis back to South Africa from Montpellier.
Du Plessis, one of the most promising midfielders to emerge from Paul Roos, had a stint in rugby league with the Sydney Roosters after school before returning to Rugby Union with the Melbourne Rebels.
He made his Vodacom Super Rugby debut against the Hurricanes in the same year but returned to South Africa in 2012 and signed with the DHL Stormers.
French club Montpellier have snapped up the signatures of two top SA midfielders – Vodacom Bulls veteran Wynand Olivier and DHL Western Province centre JP Du Plessis among their acquisitions ahead of the new European season.
South Africa is blessed with some wonderful centres at the moment, and the lads in the Stormers squad are no exception. Springbok Captain Jean de Villiers again wears the Captains band for the Stormers, even though Schalk Burger is expected back from a long injury lay-off a couple of weeks into the season.
The main centre pairing for the Stormers have heaps of experience, but thereafter it wears a bit thin pretty quickly.
News from Newlands is that the WP / Stormers have signed U21 centre JP du Plessis.
A really fascinating day at the Beyond Sport Summit – highlighted by an entertaining panel discussion including Michael Johnson and Oscar Pistorius, and chaired by Bob Skinstad – was interrupted slightly upon getting three bits of truly bizarre sporting news …
The Sharks have lost lock Alistair Hargreaves for three weeks as a result of the shoulder injury he sustained playing against the Stormers in Durban last weekend.
The misery of being defeated 41-10 by the Lions in their opening Neo Africa fixture has been compounded for the Sharks by an injury that could force Alistair Hargreaves to be out of rugby for some time.