Knee operation rules Brown out for the Sevens season

Kyle Brown. Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

Kyle Brown. Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

Published Dec 15, 2016

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Cape Town - A tournament win in Cape Town would have given Springbok Sevens player Kyle Brown a positive memory while recovering from injury, as the stalwart has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Sevens Series.

Brown ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during the Blitzboks’ semi-final victory over New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday, which will sideline him for the next six to nine months.

Brown, who stood down from his captaincy role ahead of the Series-opening Dubai tournament, will undergo surgery today, team doctor Leigh Gordon confirmed yesterday.

“Kyle will be operated on in Cape Town on Thursday and will not be able to play for between six to nine months. This means that he will miss the remainder of the series,” Gordon said.

In Dubai two weeks ago, the 29-year-old was very influential in the South Africans’ first-class performance that saw them claim not only the Dubai title, but also an unbeaten run in six matches. Their whitewash included a convincing 40-0 trouncing of New Zealand and an inspiring performance against defending Series and Olympic gold medallists, Fiji, in the final.

He produced a few beautiful try-creating passes in Dubai, a corner kick that superbly set up five-pointer, and there were also some slick running lines to finish things off for the Springboks Sevens team.

New skipper Philip Snyman and Ruhan Nel (both hand injuries) will be fit when the action resumes after undergoing scans which revealed that they had only sustained soft tissue injuries.

“Philip Snyman and Ruhan Nel underwent scans, but the results showed that they were soft tissue injuries. They will be fit to resume training when the squad assembles again early in January,” Gordon said.

Seabelo Senatla also picked up a quadriceps muscle injury, which ruled him out of the final in which the Blitzboks were edged 19-17 by England. But Gordon assured that the playmaker will make a full recovery.

Carel du Preez, who strained a hamstring, and Tim Agaba, who injured his ankle during a warm-up tournament in Namibia last month, are both on a steady road to recovery, while Sandile Ngcobo (knee) is also making good progress.

All players will be assessed again when the squad reassemble in Stellenbosch early in January in preparation for the next tournament, whick kicks off in Wellington, New Zealand, on January 28.

The Star

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