Springbok flank Heinrich Brussow will need follow-up surgery on his knee and delay his return to professional rugby.
The operation, set to be performed on Tuesday afternoon, means Brüssow will be unavailable for selection for the Springbok tour to Europe in November.
Brüssow was assessed during the recent Springbok training camp in Johannesburg and it has been agreed that a second operation is needed in order to ensure that he is 100% fit and available for the 2011 season, which includes the Rugby World Cup.
Brüssow had surgery earlier this year after sustaining a severe knee injury in a Vodacom Super 14 match. The player ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, tore both the lateral and medial meniscus,and tore the Medial Collateral Ligament and medial capsule.
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Andries Bekker will take no part in games for South Africa or Western Province until the revamped Super 15 tournament in 2011.
Cape Talk has reported that the towering lock is set to undergo surgery to repair a damaged disc in his back, after picking up the injury during the Boks’ broadly ill-fated away leg of the Vodacom Tri-Nations in New Zealand.
He had an MRI scan in Brisbane which ruled him out of consideration for the squad to play the Wallabies there.
The radio station quoted Matthew Proudfoot, the WP forwards coach, as saying: “Andries is back from overseas; we caught up with him today (Monday). It looks like he is going in for surgery next week on his back.”
WP spokesperson Gavin Lewis could not confirm to Sport24 that Bekker was out of the rugby for the remainder of 2010, but said he would seek clarity from the medical staff.
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Former Australia rugby hooker Brendan Cannon accidentally reversed a car over his baby son in the family driveway, leaving the toddler in critical condition, reports said on Sunday.
The Sunday Telegraph said Cannon’s 15-month-old boy, Samuel, was on life support with two broken legs and internal injuries after being run over by the four-wheel drive.
“It’s one of those worst-case scenarios,” Cannon was quoted as saying.
“We’ve got a very narrow driveway and you need to be focusing on clearing the gate. I was reversing out, concentrating on the right side of the gate to get out, and I’ve accidentally run over the little guy.”
The incident mirrors a similar event involving another former Australia hooker, Phil Kearns, whose baby daughter Andie was also run over at the family home but made a full recovery.
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Conrad Jantjes makes his long awaited return to trugby for Western Province as they take on the Griffons in a friendly match.
The 30-year-old Jantjes has been out of action since May last year, when he fractured his leg while playing for the Stormers against the Chiefs in the Super 14.
The recovery process has been a slow and arduous one for the fullback who has been training with the Western Province U21 squad to regain some match fitness.
Jantjes will be thrust straight back into the Western Province starting XV, as coach Allister Coetee’s hand was somewhat forced by the departure of regular fullback Joe Pietersen to France and wing-cum-fullback Gio Aplon away with the Springboks.
“Connie’s [Jantjes] position is a tough one because we lost Joe [Pietersen] and Gio [Aplon] has gone to the Boks, so he has got to swim now,” Coetzee told rugby365.com.
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A try scored by Jaque Fourie against the British & Irish Lions has been named the International Rugby Players Association Try of the Year 2009.
The Springbok fought off stiff competition from some of the biggest names in the Game to claim the prestigious award after the global Rugby community selected his try from a shortlist of 15 in an online vote at www.irb.com. Nearly 8,000 votes were cast in the process.
Fourie’s try, scored in the 74th minute of the nail-biting encounter in Pretoria in June, sealed a dramatic Series victory for the Springboks, who went on to be named IRB Team of the Year in association with Emirates Airline and demonstrated superb control, team work and skills before the centre squeezed over in the corner.
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One of South Africa’s biggest rugby legends Ruben Kruger will be laid to rest today in Pretoria, attended by thousands of rugby colleagues, fans and friends.
Former Springboks, current players and friends will all pay homage to the 1995 World Cup star at a service at the CRC church on the corner of Lynnwood and Hans Strijdom Avenues, near Silver Lakes where Kruger and his wife Lize lived.
“The service will begin at 10am and will be led by Pastor At Boshoff from Bloemfontein,” close friend and former teammate FA Meiring told SuperSport.com.
“It won’t be a massive affair. Ruben was a quiet guy and he wouldn’t have liked that. He liked to keep things simple.” A large contingent of the Super 14 champions Bulls side will attend the funeral, as well as several former Springboks who are travelling from as far as Cape Town, Durban and Kimberley.
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Springbok winger Bryan Habana scored a hat-trick of tries to steer the Barbarians to a 25 – 18 victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday for only the second time in 10 attempts.
New Zealand had rested most of their first-choice players against a strong Barbarian side but will nevertheless be disappointed to have ended their previously victorious European tour with a defeat.
The Barbarians’ only other win over the All Blacks was the 1973 success in Cardiff, highlighted by the most famous try in rugby, scored by Gareth Edwards.
Saturday’s match, in front of 65,000 fans, could not match that brilliance but after much of the dull fare served up in many of the November internationals it was played with a refreshing commitment to attack.
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Bryan Habana signed a two year deal with Western Province, allowing him to continue playing his rugby in South Africa until his contract then expires in 2011.
Bernie Habana, father of the Bok wing, confirmed on Sunday that Habana Jnr will be playing his domestic and Super Rugby in Cape Town for the next two years.
“Some details of the contract still has to be sorted out, but Bryan has decided that Cape Town is where it is at,” Habana Snr said, adding: “Those details will be sorted out in the next few days [before he departs with the Boks for Australasia on Tuesday].”
This follows less than a week after he arrived in Cape Town, last Monday, for ‘explorative talks’ with Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus.
Habana, winner of both the International Rugby Board and South African Rugby Union Player of the Year awards for 2007, also had an offer to stay with the Blue Bulls in Pretoria and had talks with the Bulls last Sunday.
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The Barbarians are to face the current Tri-Nations champions the All Blacks at Twickenham on December the 5th.
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, a member of the star-studded Barbarians side that lost 11-18 to Australia at Wembley last December, that showed that the ‘scratch’ team could be competitive against a Test nation, said he was looking forward to playing against them instead.
“I had a great time playing for the Barbarians last year and to now get the opportunity to play against them is going to be pretty special,” the captain of an All Black side currently number one in the world rankings, explained.
“Matches like this are rare and as there is such a long tradition of matches between the All Blacks and the Barbarians, it’s going to be huge for the team,” McCaw said.
Micky Steele-Bodger, president of the Barbarians said: “The confirmation of the Barbarians v All Blacks fixture in December is really good news as so many of the matches between us have proved to be memorable, containing some unforgettable moments of brilliance.
“As a club we are looking forward to another great challenge and in every sense, a marvellous occasion.”
The All Blacks have played the Barbarians on nine occasions. The match in 1973 in Cardiff, which the Barbarians won 23-11, featured what many fans consider to be one of the greatest tries ever, when legendary Wales scrum-half Gareth Edwards crowned a brilliant length of the field team move with the game’s opening score.
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The Klein Nederberg Secondary School hosted Peter de Villiers for a filmshoot with Sky TV on Tuesday.
De Villiers was interviewed for a documentary feature that is being produced by Sky which looks back on the 1974 British Lions tour of South Africa as well as ahead to the forthcoming series between the Springboks and the 2009 Lions in June and July. The documentary will be screened in the United Kingdom and Ireland in May this year.
In addition to the interview, de Villiers conducted a short skills session with the Schools 1st rugby team.
When I was asked to find a venue for the shoot I approached Klein Nederberg and they happily agreed, said de Villiers, whose daughter matriculated at the school.
The headmistress and staff were very accommodating and hospitable as always and their efforts were much appreciated by myself and the Sky crew, de Villiers said.
During his visit, the Bok coach interacted with scholars and educators and signed autographs. He also met five-year-old Bok fan Peter Esterhuizen whose dream is to play for the Springboks and whose favourite players are Jongi Nokwe and Percy Montgomery.
The Sky TV crew was grateful to Klein Nederberg for making their facilities available for the shoot.
Source + Pic: sarugby.co.za
