Gio Aplon and Flip van der Merwe returning home after injuries
Lock forward Flip van der Merwe and fullback Gio Aplon will return home from the Springboks’ Castle Tri-Nations Series tour on Wednesday.
The Vodacom Bulls’ second rower, Van der Merwe, injured a rib cartilage in Saturday’s Test against Australia and will not recover in time to be fit for this weekend’s Test against New Zealand in Wellington. Aplon suffered injuries to back and shoulder and was unable to train on Monday and Tuesday. It has been decided, after further evaluation, that he too should return to South Africa to begin his rehabilitation.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will not be calling for replacements. Stade Francais lock, Gerhard Mostert, has already joined the squad from France as a replacement for Johann Muller, who left on the same day, having failed to recover from a hamstring strain.
Meanwhile Heinrich Brüssow has been ruled out of contention for the Test. The looseforward has been recovering from a hamstring strain and will remain with the squad to continue his rehabilitation. De Villiers said that it was hoped that Brüssow would be able to receive some game time for the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in the Absa Currie Cup against DHL Western Province next Saturday.
Related Posts
« SARU picks women rugby squad of 24 for senior Women's Nations Cup in Canada Absa Currie Cup vs Vodacom Super Rugby: What's the difference? »
