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Pretoria - They would have hoped to have him back by now, but the Bulls are preparing for Friday night's Super Rugby clash against the Sharks in Durban without the services of flyhalf Handre Pollard.
Pollard has been battling an ankle injury for much of the Super Rugby season, but he was expected to have been available for duty by the time the competition resumed following the international break.
Pollard was due to play for South Africa 'A' against the French Barbarians in Soweto this past Friday, but he was withdrawn late because his ankle had reportedly swelled on the eve of the match.
Now, the Bulls have confirmed through team doctor Herman Rossouw that the 23-year-old is still not ready.
"We will keep him out this week. His ankle isn't where it should be right now. He picked up a small inflammation while with the SA A side," Rossouw said.
"He came through his rehab well and we were 100% happy with him. Those 60 minutes he played in the Provincial Challenge Cup, he looked solid and came through well. It may be that his workload these past few weeks has led to the inflammation."
The Provincial Challenge game that Rossouw was referring to came on June 9, when Pollard made his return against the Valke.
The Bulls are also without Hanro Liebenberg and Piet van Zyl.
