Left-wing Bryan Habana and No.8 Duane Vermeulen are injury concerns for South Africa ahead of a Rugby Championship Test with title-winners New Zealand on Saturday.
Habana took a knock to the head during the first half of a 28-10 win over Australia in Cape Town last Saturday and quit at halftime.
An outstanding performance by Vermeulen in the same match ended just past the hour when he fell awkwardly and injured a rib cartilage.
“Bryan developed some symptoms of concussion at the break,” Springboks team doctor Craig Roberts said on Monday.
“He will need to follow the standard post-concussion return-to-play protocol before being considered for the Test at Ellis Park.
“Duane was unable to carry on due to discomfort. He has responded well to treatment, but we will still manage him through training this week before making a final call.”
Coach Heyneke Meyer is scheduled to name his team on Wednesday for a showdown between the top-ranked All Blacks and the second-ranked Springboks.
New Zealand clinched a third consecutive southern hemisphere title by winning 34-13 in Argentina last Saturday.
The All Blacks have 21 points with one round to play, the Springboks 15, the Wallabies 10 and the Pumas three.
Kia Kaha
Guest
Thanks Harry for the correction. Was there a game when Burger did play and looked a shadow of his former self or am I just imagining that? If this were WWF, Vermeulen and Burger against Kaino and Read would be the tag-team main event with Matfield and Etzebeth matching up beforehand against Retallick and Whitelock. The Bokbashers vs The Bushwhackers followed by The Pain Foundation vs The Alchemists. Only instead of make-believe, the hits are real! Worth the price of admission alone to see those guys in action. One thing I'd like to see NZ do a lot more is test Hendricks under the high ball. We did it so sparingly when he wanted not a bar of Savea coming at him. It was like a scrooge being told it was his round: he vanished without a trace!
Harry Jones
Expert
Good post (But just as a point of clarity, Burger didn't play in Argentina). Looking forward to a miraculous recovery by Vermeuelen and a battle royale between Burger/him and Kaino/Read.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
If Habana had stayed on the field last year, I'd have been very interested to see how the result might've differed. He was carving us up with two wonderfully taken tries. In Wellington, he proved his worth at the breakdown more than in broken play with all too rare an opportunity to find himself with the ball in open spaces. Vermuelen was my man of the match in Wellington. So strong on his feet, I'd like to see how Kaino could cope with him in terms of the cleanout. Just as Retallick is under an injury cloud, you always want to see the best out on the field. I was glad to see Burger back to his best after his horror display in Argentina but the fact of the matter is with no Vermuelen, Alberts or Louw in the side, it's of little importance that SA has such great depth in the back row. Imagine NZ without Read, McCaw and Kaino. There are players who are capable of stepping in but those three would be great losses just as they'd be for SA. Here's hoping this game is on a par with last year test and I sincerely hope Wayne Barnes is not the person either side is talking about after the match and like last year everybody is only talking about the great spectacle.
Vic
Guest
Did you say something about playing with 14 men to beat the AB's? Try 13, that might work for you......
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Hold your horses this is just an injury update, not an excuse. Yeesh.
ph1lstar
Guest
Yep I admit I did add a bit of curry to it, but if you can't beat a jaded All Blacks side coming from Argentina and at home, then you're not even close to the ABs. Despite the scoreline against the Wallabies, I think the Wallabies have a better chance of moving up to No.2 than the All Blacks losing a test this year. Only complacency or physical fatigue will beat the ABs leading up to the RWC. However the RWC will be a totally different beast. The All Blacks will be prone because of their easy pool group.....again.
Riccardo
Guest
I think Vermeulen is a serious contenders for the IRB gong this year and his loss for the Springboks would be huge on the back of Louw's and Alberts' injuries. Given how big a role the loose forwards play in the modern game, especially the Springboks, this will really represent an advantage to the All Blacks. Even though the silverware is off the table I am looking forward to Ellis Park. Any Test between the All Blacks and the old foe has the potential to be epic. ph1lstar - That's a really disrespectful and inaccurate post mate.
ph1lstar
Guest
Another excuse to hide behind a certain defeat for the Springboks. How many times will the Springboks be given the ripe opportunity to beat the All Blacks at home in the last game of the Rugby Championship, where fatigue and injuries will be more telling than playing the All Blacks in NZ at the halfway point. How many opportunities will the Springboks need to beat the All Blacks with an All Black player or 2 in the sin bin (it will happen on the weekend). I'm sure it's an All Black ploy to say hey lets play you guys with 14 men for half the game just to give you guys a chance. Probably a good tactic for RM to get a yellow card to give himself a bit of a rest in each test leading up to the RWC, the ABs will still win.