Ismaiel blow for battling Bulls

Pretoria - The Bulls have lost the services of Travis Ismaiel for an extended period after the winger picked up a knee injury in last Saturday’s 62-24 home defeat to the Crusaders.

The Bulls have issued a statement saying Ismaiel sustained a suspected grade 3 MCL tear in his knee.

He will undergo scans for confirmation but is expected to be sidelined for between six to eight weeks.

Regarding the long term injury list, Handre Pollard, Dries Swanepoel and Roelof Smit are making steady progress, while John-Roy Jenkinson has begun selected practice sessions with the team.

Arno Botha, JT Jackson and Ruan Steenkamp have been cleared to play and will be available for selection against the Highlanders this weekend.