De Jongh set to miss Bok tour

The Springboks are set to lose two first-choice players to injury, but will get one back for the end-of-year tour to Europe.

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Cape Town - The Springboks are set to lose two first-choice players to injury, but will get one back for the end-of-year tour to Europe.

Bok coach Allister Coetzee will announce his team after the Currie Cup final on Saturday evening, and has said that he will name two separate squads - one for the Barbarians clash on November 5 at Wembley Stadium in London, and another for Tests against England, Italy and Wales.

And while he will only have locally-based players to choose from for the Barbarians game due to it being outside of the Test window, he is likely to stick to most of the squad that did duty during the Rugby Championship for the three Tests.

But Independent Media understands that apart from the confirmed injury-enforced absence of flank Francois Louw (hamstring, out for 10 weeks), centre Juan de Jongh picked up a hip problem during the Currie Cup semi-final last Saturday and is believed to be out for four weeks.

That will mean he won’t be ready for the Barbarians and England games, and it is highly unlikely that he will go on tour for just the Italy and Welsh matches.

Damian de Allende and Lionel Mapoe will probably be the first-choice midfield pair for the Test matches, with Jesse Kriel as the back-up. But one of Francois Venter and Rohan Janse van Rensburg will be the fourth centre for the Tests - with both uncapped midfielders in line to face the Barbarians.

In terms of the Test squad, Duane Vermeulen is unlikely to return for the moment. The big No 8 has been back on the field for French club Toulon in recent weeks following his knee injury, and has played in three matches.

He would’ve played another three before the England Test, but it is believed that a combination of him not quite being ready and reluctance from eccentric Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal to release his club captain will result in Vermeulen staying in France.

Star right wing Ruan Combrinck is over his broken leg that he sustained in the 26-24 defeat to Argentina in Salta in August and he will be back for the November tour. Having not required surgery, Combrinck has apparently been ready to play for a while, but he has been held back to make sure he is completely fit for the Boks.

Veteran wing JP Pietersen is also set to return after missing the Rugby Championship to allow him to settle in at his new English club Leicester. The experience of Pietersen and Bryan Habana, as well as Combrinck’s comeback, will definitely shore up a back-three that were jittery at times during the last tournament.

It should also result in Francois Hougaard not having to fill in at wing anymore, and he is likely to be one of the three scrumhalves alongside Rudy Paige and Faf de Klerk.

The big winner out wide, though, is understood to be Sergeal Petersen. The Cheetahs right wing was a stand-out player in Super Rugby - he was joint-third on the try-scorers’ list with nine - and has continued his good form in the Currie Cup.

His searing pace and skill will complement the physicality of JP Pietersen and Combrinck, while he will get an opportunity to experience being part of the Test squad like Seabelo Senatla has done previously.

Senatla, though, is not quite 100 percent yet following his wrist injury at the Olympics, and he is set to feature for the Blitzboks in the World Sevens Series in Dubai and Cape Town in December.

For the Barbarians match, some of the new names in the national set-up will be Cheetahs captain Venter, Petersen and hard-working Uzair Cassiem - who has been outstanding during Super Rugby and Currie Cup - while Bulls flyer Jamba Ulengo will also get a chance at a higher level.

Lions centre Janse van Rensburg, who was initially picked for the Barbarians team, will now play for his country instead.

Western Province No 8 Nizaam Carr is also expected to return to the Bok scene after earning two Test caps on the 2014 November tour, but is likely to feature in the Barbarians game only.

Carr has battled with a shoulder injury in recent months, but was immediately back to his best with stand-out displays against Boland and the Bulls.

Fellow Cape loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe is still not over his ankle problem and won’t be fit for the trip.

ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za

@ashfakmohamed

Independent Media