The Bulls were dealt another injury blow in the build-up to the defence of their Super 14 crown with the news that Emerging Springbok captain and Bok loose forward Dewald Potgieter has been sidelined through a training ground injury.
Rugby365
It was revealed that Potgieter, with one Test cap to his credit, will be sidelined after he sustained a knee injury during practice on Tuesday.
Potgieter, who toured with the Boks at the end of 2009, picked up a grade two medial ligament injury and at this point it looks as if the flamboyant youngster will miss the opening round of the Super 14 tournament – when the Bulls tackle the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on February 12.
Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed on Tuesday that the injury is quite serious and it he estimates that Potgieter will be on the sideline for four to six weeks.
The defending champion Bulls are already without four frontline players.
Potgieter’s training ground mishap follows after utility back Francois Hougaard injured his knee and the versatile Springbok is also in doubt for the opening round of the Super 14 tournament.
Hougaard undergo surgery to repair ligament damage earlier this month and the talented youngster, who made his debut for South Africa in the November against Italy, will not be able to play for another month.
This follows after confirmation that veteran lock Bakkies Botha, hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and wing Akona Ndungane are all set too miss some of the early rounds of the competition, as they carry injuries from last year into 2010.
Botha severely injured his Achilles tendon on the Springboks’ year-end tour, Ralepelle missed the bulk of the Currie Cup with a foot injury and failed to complete the opening match of the year-end tour when he broke down again, eventually requiring extensive surgery, while Ndungane is still on the road back to full recovery after a leg fracture he suffered in the Currie Cup last year.
Potgieter was one of the Bulls’ best and most effective players in the 2009 tournament and it came as no surprise when the national selectors appointed him as the captain of the Emerging Boks that played against the British & Irish Lions.
He was just as good in the Currie Cup and he duly received his Springbok colours on the end of the year tour.
January 20th, 2010 at 8:29 am
And the list go one and on and on, and it is not going to stop for the cows this year.
Go Nokes
1 for Nokes
0 for Nokes haters
January 20th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 8:29 am: How the heck do you work that one out seeing as the Blls have the best player management programme out there devised by clever proffs and the like from Tukkies
January 20th, 2010 at 11:34 am
easy davids. You take one pissed off province supporter, who cannot stand the fact, that even with all these injuries, the bulls will still outclass his team, and voila, you get sourgrapes clutching at straws, or is that a papsak i see, to make himself feel better.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Reply to DavidS @ 11:27 am: Early day days just wait and see how many is gonna brake down this season, with your so called management programs and all
January 20th, 2010 at 11:44 am
2 much rugby.
Noakes is right.
Hurrah for Noakes.
The human body is
not a machine.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:48 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 11:44 am:
January 20th, 2010 at 11:57 am
I predict Matfield being on the injured list within the first 3 games as well as John Smit and possibly 1 or 2 others
January 20th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
DeWalt Potgieter played in 1 test as a sub.
How the heck do we get from his injury to Noakes is correct? Or shall we just say that for all injuries from now on?
January 20th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
How about some real science. The statistics is very simple all one need is access to the data.
What is the odds a player suffering injury? – Average number of minutes played per injury suffered.
Does the odds differ between the levels? – Tests, S14, CC?
Is it higher when a player plays more? Is it lower for players coming out of a rest period?
Surely the scientist have already done this.
January 20th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Ja vra maar.
Logic is an illness in the Cape and to be avoided at all costs as it may be catching..
January 21st, 2010 at 8:32 am
logic may lead to actual work being done in the cape. Wouldn’t want that would we?