Nel off to Ireland to replace injured Klaasen
CENTRE Jacques Nel has been flown to Ireland by the Southern Kings as cover for the injured Harlon Klaasen, who sustained a hamstring injury when the Port Elizabeth side lost to the Ospreys last week.
Klaasen started off the bench for the Kings in Swansea when the South Africans were beaten 26-12 at the Liberty Stadium in round 15 of the PRO14.
Nel will now be in contention for a place in the Kings lineup when they face the Conference B league leaders Leinster in Dublin on Friday.
“Harlon suffered a hamstring injury and will be unable to play for a while so a decision has been made to send him back to South Africa. Jacques Nel will be flying in as a replacement,” Kings team doctor Clement Plaatjies said.
Scrumhalf Rowan Gouws, who went into the Ospreys match with concerns about his ankle, is in good shape and is available to play against Leinster.
Stephan Coetzee, who dislocated a finger after coming onto the field as a replacement in Swansea, is showing no ill-effects and will be considered for selection.
Plaatjies said prop Dayan van der Westhuizen, who missed the Ospreys clash because of an ankle injury, had responded well to treatment and was ready to face Leinster.
Prop Schalk Ferreira is suffering from some stiffness in his neck as well as bruising of the ribs, which limited his training on Monday.
Fullback Masixole Banda has a rotator cuff contusion and his training was also limited.
Man-of-the-match against the Ospreys Andisa Ntsila is the only other concern for the Kings medical team.
“Andisa went into the match with a tight quad and it seemed to flare up during the game but I think that’s just testament to the tough performance he put in. He has responded well to treatment and will definitely be ready for Friday,” Plaatjies said.
Leinster are top of Conference B with 57 points from 15 outings, while the winless Kings have only four points to show from the same number of games and are still searching for their first win in the competition.