Whiteley out of June Tests

Warren Whiteley’s bid to regain the Springbok captaincy for the June internationals is over.

It was hoped that Whiteley would regain fitness from a cruciate ligament injury and return to action for the Lions when they play the Stormers in a Super Rugby match at Newlands on Saturday.

It has‚ however‚ been reliably learnt that he will not play this weekend‚ effectively ruling him out of selection for the Springbok squad to be announced this weekend.

The Springboks play Wales in Washington DC next Saturday before taking on England on consecutive Saturdays in a three-Test series.

An inflated squad of 45 is likely to be selected, of which 26 will travel to Washington.

Whiteley was favourite to lead the Boks under coach Rassie Erasmus, but it is unclear when he will return to action.

With Eben Etzebeth‚ who captained the team in Whiteley’s absence in 2017‚ also in Springbok rugby’s ever-expanding infirmary‚ the coach may turn to Bulls flyhalf Handré Pollard to lead the side.

Pollard appears a shoo-in to get the starting berth‚ but his franchise teammate Adriaan Strauss‚ who retired from the international game after a disappointing 2016 season‚ may be lured out of self-imposed exile.

He said in a recent interview he would consider returning if he felt he could make a positive contribution.

With the dynamic Malcolm Marx injured and the hooking reserves dangerously low‚ Strauss should at the very least feature in an expanded squad.

Despite operating in an underperforming Stormers team‚ Siya Kolisi will have strong support should he get the nod.

It is unlikely that Erasmus will opt for a captain who earns a living abroad.

Whiteley‚ who missed the bulk of 2017’s internationals due to a groin injury‚ returned to play at the start of the Super Rugby season, but injured cruciate knee ligaments in the Lions’ loss to the Blues in March.

He was expected to return sooner, but suffered a setback.

Whiteley’s absence has been keenly felt by the Lions. They not only lost the match in which he got injured‚ but went on to lose five other matches. /