Cheetahs without scrum anchor?

Editor

Springbok prop CJ van der Linde, who injured his calf in training for the Cheetahs last week, might miss the start of the Super 14 – when his team faces the Lions on February 16.

Springbok prop CJ van der Linde, who injured his calf in training for the Cheetahs last week, might miss the start of the Super 14 – when his team faces the Lions on February 16.

Van der Linde, who was plagued by injuries throughout last year, sustained a grade one calf injury while running last Wednesday and was initially expected to be out of action for between two and three weeks.

“At this stage I will have to say that it will be 50/50 whether he will play next week,” Cheetahs team doctor Org Strauss told rugby365.com on Monday.

Strauss confirmed that the big tighhead prop did not injure the same calf that affected him for almost half of the Super 14 campaign last year. Van der Linde also bruised his knee during the Boks' victorious World Cup campaign in France.

The opening weeks of the Super 14 might prove to be troublesome for coach Naka Drotské.

He will also be without the services of lock forward Flip van der Merwe, who sustained an injury during the Cheetahs' 24-all draw in a warm-up match against the Sharks last week.

“Flip's injury is a bit more complicated. He has a cartilage dislocation on one of his ribs and could be out for three or four weeks,” the Cheetahs team doctor added.

The two other players that are unlikely to be in action for the Cheetahs next week are loose forward Hendro Scholtz (knee) and scrumhalf Tewis de Bruyn (groin), who are both expected to be in the action in week two of the tournament – at the earliest.

Drotské, who announced his Super 14 squad this week, excluded the names of the four injured players from the list.

Cheetahs:

Backs: Hennie Daniller, Eddie Fredericks, Gavin Passens, Jongi Nokwe, Howard Noble, JW Jonker, Hendrik Meyer, Meyer Bosman, Herkie Kruger, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Conrad Barnard, Falie Oelschig, Tobie Botes.

Forwards: Duanne Vermeulen, Darron Nell, Frans Viljoen, Juan Smith (k), Heinrich Brüssow, Kabamba Floors, Heinrich Stride, Rory Duncan, Barend Pieterse, David de Villiers, Wayne van Heerden, Wian du Preez, Kobus Calldo, Bees Roux, Ronnie Uys, Adriaan Strauss, Richardt Strauss.

By Siyabonga Mchunu