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Cape Town - Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth has a very good chance of recovering from his leg injury to lead the Springboks in their third end of year tour match against Italy this weekend, the Springboks’ medical team confirmed on Monday.
“Eben left the field with about five minutes to go against France after receiving a direct blow to his lower leg,” Dr Konrad von Hagen, the team’s medical doctor, confirmed at a media briefing on Monday.
“The X-rays we did on Sunday all came out normal. We expect it just to be a soft tissue injury and will manage it accordingly. He has a good chance to play on Saturday.”
Malcolm Marx (hooker) will have follow-up examinations on Monday in Padova to further examine his shoulder injury.
“Malcolm had a direct blow to his shoulder during the match,” said Von Hagen.
“Initial X-rays showed everything is normal, however, we will have a follow-up MRI scan later on Monday just to look at the exact nature of the injury. We will make a call on his availability according to the nature of the results.”
There was good news concerning the recovery of versatile forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, with Von Hagen confirming his concussion recovery is progressing well.
“Pieter-Steph is busy with the last steps of his return to play protocols but I expect him to be available for selection,” the team doctor added.
“A few players will sit out training on Monday, but that is just part of our recovery protocols and they will be fine.”
On Monday morning, the Springboks got their match preparation underway with a gym workout, with a field training session scheduled for later in the day in Padova.
Coetzee will announce his match day squad on Thursday at 16:00.
Kick-off on Saturday is at 15:00 SA time.
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee is confident Eben Etzebeth will recover from leg injury to lead the team against Italy this coming Saturday in Padova. #ITAvRSA
— South African Rugby (@Springboks) November 20, 2017
Hooker Malcolm Marx will have further scans to check on his shoulder injury, while Pieter-Steph du Toit is almost done with his concussion return to play protocols,and will be available for selection against the Azzuri.
— South African Rugby (@Springboks) November 20, 2017
