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Pretoria – There is a prop crisis in the Jacaranda City.
With three props on national rugby service, another three injured and only three fit for Saturday, Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar will be keeping his fingers crossed that none of Corné Fourie, Rossouw de Klerk or Juan Schoeman are injured ahead of the opening Currie Cup game against the Sharks.
Pienaar got the bad news on Monday that neither Morné Mellett nor Vincent Koch would play again this year due to respective shoulder and knee injuries. He also watched Stephanus Pretorius suffer a suspected knee ligament injury.
With Werner Kruger and Dean Greyling on national duty, and Gurthrö Steenkamp still not 100% after breaking his arm, the Bulls could not really afford any more front-row injuries.
De Klerk, who regularly came on for Kruger in Super Rugby, is suddenly the most experienced prop in the team, though Fourie is a year older.
Fourie previously played for the SA Schools team and SA under-20 side, as well as for the Blue Bulls’ Vodacom Cup team, so this season may well be his breakthrough one.
Schoeman has not even celebrated his 21st birthday and has just participated in the Junior World Championships with the Baby Boks in Italy.
Frik Kirsten is fortunately almost ready for action. The tighthead prop has not played much this year due to injuries, but also has Super Rugby experience behind him and should be considered in about a week’s time.
Fortunately for the coach there are experienced hookers in Gary Botha and Willie Wepener.
Botha has played at this level for almost a decade and is a Bulls player through and through, while Wepener will be able to add a lot of value after the experience he picked up with Clermont in France.
Pretoria – There is a prop crisis in the Jacaranda City.
With three props on national rugby service, another three injured and only three fit for Saturday, Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar will be keeping his fingers crossed that none of Corné Fourie, Rossouw de Klerk or Juan Schoeman are injured ahead of the opening Currie Cup game against the Sharks.
Pienaar got the bad news on Monday that neither Morné Mellett nor Vincent Koch would play again this year due to respective shoulder and knee injuries. He also watched Stephanus Pretorius suffer a suspected knee ligament injury.
With Werner Kruger and Dean Greyling on national duty, and Gurthrö Steenkamp still not 100% after breaking his arm, the Bulls could not really afford any more front-row injuries.
De Klerk, who regularly came on for Kruger in Super Rugby, is suddenly the most experienced prop in the team, though Fourie is a year older.
Fourie previously played for the SA Schools team and SA under-20 side, as well as for the Blue Bulls’ Vodacom Cup team, so this season may well be his breakthrough one.
Schoeman has not even celebrated his 21st birthday and has just participated in the Junior World Championships with the Baby Boks in Italy.
Frik Kirsten is fortunately almost ready for action. The tighthead prop has not played much this year due to injuries, but also has Super Rugby experience behind him and should be considered in about a week’s time.
Fortunately for the coach there are experienced hookers in Gary Botha and Willie Wepener.
Botha has played at this level for almost a decade and is a Bulls player through and through, while Wepener will be able to add a lot of value after the experience he picked up with Clermont in France.
