Blows for Rebels ahead of Bulls clash

Cape Town - As they prepare to tackle the Bulls in Pretoria, The Rebels have suffered a double blow after it was confirmed that Mike Harris and Colby Fainga'a will return to Melbourne due to injury.

Harris and Fainga'a suffered injuries in the 25-19 victory over the Western Force in the first round of the Super Rugby season last Saturday.

Harris was withdrawn from the game midway through the first-half after suffering a quad strain during the warm-up, while scans on Monday revealed Fainga'a sustained elbow strain after coming on as a substitute early in the second-half.

The versatile back is expected to miss between ten and twelve weeks, while flank Fainga'a is ruled out for up to six weeks.

The Rebels' new recruit Kotaro Matsushima, who arrived in Melbourne for the first time on Thursday, along with Culum Retallick and Paul Asquith, will join the team in South Africa ahead of the game at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (15:00 kick-off).