Jean showed ‘huge courage’
DURBAN: The question could not have been put straighter to Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts: “Is Jean de Villiers in doubt for the Rugby World Cup?”
The 34-year-old’s return to the Test arena after eight months of painful rehabilitation from a potentially career ending knee injury could not have ended worse at Kings Park. He saw out the game nursing a fractured jaw – there were no subs left on the bench to replace him – and his team had been humiliated by Argentina.
“The answer is that Jean is likely to be ready for the World Cup,” Roberts said. “We have been consulting facial experts across the country since Saturday night and the general prognosis from the best in this field is that he can recover to take contact in approximately four to six weeks,” Roberts said.
“I have to take my hat off to Jean. He chose to play out that game with a crack in his jaw which we later found to be a fracture because there was nobody left to take his place. We did not know the extent of the injury at the time. He showed huge courage.”
It is the story of De Villiers’ career. He has continually fought crippling injury set- backs since the day he seriously crocked his knee minutes into his debut for the Boks way back in 2002 in Marseilles.
“His jaw is swollen. He is on a ‘soft’ diet and is battling to chew on one side. He can continue with fitness training and his knee continues to show no ill effects.”
Possibly worse off is flank Marcell Coetzee, another major casualty from the defeat to the Pumas. He suffered a grade two medial ligament injury to the knee and will be off his feet for six weeks, ruling him out of the first-round match against Japan, at least, which is in 39 days time.
“Marcell is a big concern for us,” Roberts admitted. “It is a race against time for him now.”
On the positive side, Roberts confirmed that flank Willem Alberts, scrumhalf, Fourie du Preez, and props Frans Malherbe and Steven Kitshoff had been cleared for selection.