Malherbe out, but other players back in training
A NECK injury is expected to rule Springbok prop Frans Malherbe out of the entire Rugby Championship campaign.
The front rower underwent scans in Port Elizabeth yesterday to determine the severity of the injury after complaining about stiffness in his neck.
“Frans consulted a neurosurgeon in PE who suggested extended rest for the player, with follow-up scans to be done in two weeks’ time,” team doctor Konrad von Hagen said.
Malherbe is replaced by Ruan Dreyer, the Lions prop who made his Springbok debut in the third test match against France in June.
The squad was strengthened yesterday by the arrival of scrumhalf Francois Hougaard, who is based in England where he plays for the Worcester Warriors.
His arrival means the Bok squad now have their full complement of players.
“Ross Cronje did not train last week because of a rib injury that he sustained playing in the Super Rugby final for the Lions,” Von Hagen said.
“I am pleased to say Ross has resumed training.
“We will see if he can take contact later in the week and then decide about his availability.
“Jaco Kriel‚ who was sick with flu last week‚ returns to training today, while Malcolm Marx‚ who sustained a contusion of his rotator cuff in the Super Rugby final‚ is also back in training.”
Von Hagen said fiery flank Siya Kolisi was also back to full training after sustaining an ankle injury during the Super Rugby semifinals.
“Flyhalf Handre Pollard is progressing well and was part of the full training sessions on Thursday and Friday,” he said.
“We will continue to let him train with the full squad and will let him continue working on his fitness so he can complete his rehabilitation.
“Warren Whiteley was operated on for a tear in his abdominal muscle on Friday.
“I spoke to him today and he said he is feeling a lot better and the operation was a success.”
Meanwhile, heads are high in the Argentina camp ahead of the Rugby Championship.
But channelling their temperament could be the difference between taking the step up from the one win they have achieved for the last three years and their goal of two or more this season, according to coach Daniel Hourcade.
Most of Argentina’s game was in the mind, the coach said, as he prepared the Pumas for their sixth campaign in the southern hemisphere championship, which begins in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
“Being good in the head is not enough, nor is only technique. The two combined is ideal but in rugby and because of our way of experiencing rugby, getting our heads right is of tremendous importance,” Hourcade said.
The Pumas have often let themselves down by not staying focused for a full match but, on the other hand, they can be very good when they are in the right frame of mind.
“It can lift us a lot, especially when we are the underdogs,” Hourcade said.
The confidence in the squad might sound strange after two defeats by a second string England side in June left them with one win in 10 tests since they beat South Africa a year ago.
A subsequent 45-29 win over Georgia followed by two Super Rugby victories in Australia in their other guise as the Jaguares, however, have given Argentina’s players a boost in confidence.
“They played some very good rugby, especially against the Waratahs, and came home in a good frame of mind, enthusiastic and with confidence,” Hourcade said.
“Everyone is available, we have no injuries, a complete squad, a nice, very strong internal competition [for places] with the lovely problem of whom to leave out.”
Hourcade, known to everyone as “Huevo” (egg), the unusual nickname his brother gave him because of the shape of his head, is in his fourth year as Pumas coach where he has tried to develop a more expansive game.
It took them to fourth place at the 2015 World Cup but there has been a cost in other areas and Hourcade has been putting an emphasis on defence and scrummaging this year.