Mike Greenaway
In a case of adding injury to insult, four key Springbok players were seriously injured in the defeat to Ireland in Durban last week.
The Irish team began the game with a furious physical onslaught that had a host of Boks bruised and bloodied. Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, Franco Mostert and Malcolm Marx picked up injuries and will be unavailable for the Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Brisbane on August 10.
Kolbe is expected to be available for the second Test in Perth a week later, Du Toit could also make that match, but the best-case scenario for Mostert and Marx is that they will be fit for the first Test against the All Blacks on August 31.
The unfortunate Marx recently made a comeback after a knee injury sustained early in the World Cup but was crocked in a crocodile roll clean-out by Ireland captain Caelan Doris. The latter was sin-binned but that is no consolation for Marx.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus explained the injury situation at a media conference in Bloemfontein.
“Franco is out for six weeks, he broke a bone in his leg, and Malcolm has got a bit of a tibia fracture from when he got cleaned out in Durban,” Erasmus said.
“Pieter-Steph is out for four to six weeks, and Cheslin looks like he will be ready for the second Test in Australia.”
Lions winger Edwill van der Merwe was set to play in Saturday’s Test against Portugal but got injured at the weekend playing in a Currie Cup match against the Pumas. He is ruled out for six weeks.
In better news, Canan Moodie is almost recovered from the hand injury he picked up with the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship. Erasmus expects Moodie to train next week and be available for the tour to Australia.