Things just not ‘clicking’ right for Whiteley
THERE WERE more questions than answers following Lions captain Warren Whiteley’s visit to an orthopaedic surgeon to determine the extent of a recurring knee injury.
But the early signs are not good and will surely have some sort of impact on his teammates when they lineup for their first Super Rugby tour match today against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Whiteley was supposed to return today – and for the full four-match tour of Australia and New Zealand – after missing the last five weeks because of posterior cruciate ligament damage in his knee, sustained while playing against the Blues. But on Monday, the day before the 27-man squad departed to Australasia, the Springbok No 8 felt a “click” in his knee and was withdrawn from the tour squad. He had an MRI scan done on Wednesday and saw a doctor late on the same day, but his employers were unwilling to disclose any major news yesterday.
All the Lions had to say about the injury was: “Warren Whiteley has not been medically cleared by the Lions Rugby Company medical team and will not join the Lions on tour until he is medically cleared.”
No further information on how long Whiteley might be out for and what the actual diagnosis is was forthcoming.
Whiteley struggled for months late last year to shake off a groin problem, which prevented him from captaining the Boks on more than the two occasions he did, and has now missed four Super Rugby matches.
How this setback impacts the Lions will be known as early as today when the tourists clash with Australia’s leading team in Sydney. Franco Mostert, pictured, will again lead the team, from flank.
A quality Lions performance – after only arriving in Sydney late Wednesday in an attempt to beat jet lag – will do coach Swys de Bruin the world of good.
But, if the Lions come undone, then the tour could turn into a real tough one, with the other three matches being against the Reds, Hurricanes and Highlanders. The good news though is that they’ve been happy, and successful, tourists in recent years and are also coming off a bye and a good win against the Stormers before that.