CAPE TOWN – Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber will be a worried man on Friday night after watching stalwart No 8 Duane Vermeulen and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies getting injured at Loftus Versfeld.
It has been a ferocious first half of the Rainbow Cup SA encounter, with the Stormers leading 17-7 against the Bulls.
But in terms of the bigger picture of the Boks, with less than a month to go to the first Test against Georgia, Vermeulen limping off injured in the first half was a disappointing sight, considering his importance to the South African cause for the upcoming series against the British and Irish Lions.
The Bulls captain’s left leg was caught almost underneath him in a tackle from Bok teammate Pieter-Steph du Toit, and he was unable to continue as he made his way off the pitch in gingerly fashion.
Afterwards, he was seen with an ice-pack to his left ankle, and not looking happy at all.
Earlier in the first half, Jantjies was replaced by Godlen Masimla, and the Bok halfback went straight down the tunnel, so it may be a head injury assessment.
Nienaber will name his 45-man Springbok squad on Saturday night.
Both the Bulls and Stormers got stuck into each other physically, with powerful runs and huge tackles the order of the night as they looked to impress the national selectors ahead of Saturday’s announcement.
IOL Sport