Oosthuizen out of England series

Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been ruled out of the rest of the home tour against England due to injury.

Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been ruled out of the rest of the home tour against England due to injury.

Published Jun 12, 2012

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Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been ruled out of the rest of the home tour against England due to injury.

Oosthuizen, who made his Test debut in Durban on Saturday, has a mildly bulging disc in his neck, the SA Rugby Union (Saru) said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts, the 23-year-old should be out of action for between two and three months.

“Coenie needs treatment, rest and rehabilitation and it was decided to withdraw him from the Bok squad for the next two Tests,” Roberts said.

“We will follow a conservative approach with Coenie.

“He is still a young player and has a long career ahead of him and needs to be managed appropriately.”

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer was disappointed to see Oosthuizen leave the squad.

“Coenie has brought a lot of energy to our team and he played a major part in our victory in the first Test, making a big impact when he came on,” Meyer said.

“The player's welfare comes first and we decided that it would be best for Coenie to rather get some proper rest and rehabilitation now.

“Hopefully he'll be back to full fitness soon. He definitely has a role to play in future.”

Dean Greyling replaced Oosthuizen in the Bok squad on Tuesday morning and Saru said he would remain with the team until the end of the tour.

“Dean brings experience to the squad and, like Coenie, he is also a loosehead that can play tighthead if needed,” Meyer said.

“He now has an opportunity to show what he can do and he needs to grab it.” – Sapa

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