Injury setback for Blue Bulls

Johannesburg - Blue Bulls wing Akona Ndungane will miss the next two weeks of Currie Cup rugby after injuring his ribs in Saturday's win over Western Province at Loftus, the union said in a statement on Monday.

The Bulls' next fixture will be against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday and then they face the Pumas at Loftus Versfeld, the following weekend.

Ndungane is expected to be fit for the match against Griquas in Kimberley next month, along with Deon Stegmann (cheek bone) and Jaco Pretorius (groin), who is recovering from an operation.

According to team doctor Org Strauss, a number of the squad players are feeling the effects of the season.

Dewald Potgieter (ankle), Jano Vermaak (head), Juandr Kruger (knee), Louis Fouch (groin), Gerrit-Jan van Velze (contusion) and Bjorn Basson (flu), all missed training on Monday and Tuesday.

"All of them should be running again on Wednesday," Strauss said.

Meanwhile the union also announced that the Bulls' charity initiative, Clothing4Children, has generated R200 million worth of clothing to be distributed to 1.2 million poverty-stricken people in the Pretoria metropole.