‘CJ’ will hunt for big scalp
After missing the whole of 2017 through injury, loosie hopes to impress
After spending two years in the wilderness with a knee injury, fiery Isuzu Southern Kings loose-forward C J Velleman is set to return to action against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.
A succession of cruel injuries meant star fetcher Velleman did not play a single match for the Kings in Super Rugby in 2017, a year after starring in 2016.
After making good progress in his recovery from a long-term knee injury sustained in 2016, flanker Velleman received a setback when he damaged the same knee at training in 2017.
It is expected Kings head coach Deon Davids will start Velleman from the bench when they face the Scottish side at Nelson Mandela Bay’s Madibaz Stadium on Saturday.
Velleman looked sharp at training on Wednesday, and his expected return to action will be a boost for the Kings, who have lost their opening three Guinness Pro14 matches.
The Kings have been warned that they can expect a physical forward contest on Saturday.
Warriors skipper Ryan Wilson says his forwards have proved that they are “strong enough and big enough” this season during their threematch unbeaten run.
Warriors appeared to be outmuscled upfront in several key games last season, particularly during an underwhelming European Champions Cup campaign.
“In the pack, you want to be known as a tough bunch of blokes,” said Wilson.
“There was some chat of whether we are strong and big enough. We’ve certainly got both those aspects. We’ve got some bloody big players in there and we’ve definitely got some tough blokes that are happy to front up.
“There was a lot of talk of bulking up this squad and signing players, but I think we’ve gone out and shown that we’ve got the talent in this squad to do the job.
“We were known for that style of rugby of throwing the ball about, but in the last three games we’ve shown we’ve got a good enough pack to go up against the best.”
The Warriors will be without prop Zander Fagerson for the Kings clash.
He has undergone surgery in Bloemfontein with an ankle injury he sustained in Glasgow Warriors’ victory over Cheetahs on Saturday.
The tight-head prop will trav- el to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and return home to Scotland with his teammates to receive further assessment.
Stuart Hogg will return home having failed to recover from an ankle injury sustained against Munster.
Insiders say Pumas scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer is poised to sign a two-year contract at the Kings.