Bulls lose three players for rest of the season
NEWS: The Bulls’ Currie Cup season just got harder after their latest injury update.
They will also have to select a new captain.
The Bulls XV travel to the University of Johannesburg this Saturday to face the Lions still searching for their first win of the Carling Currie Cup campaign, with head coach Phiwe Nomlomo confirming a growing injury list that now stretches close to 20 players.
Nomlomo’s side sit 0-2 after defeats to Boland and Griquas, and the losses have come at a cost.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, the coach confirmed that hooker Shaun Schuurmann and centre PA van Niekerk will both miss the remainder of the season, both with severe knee injuries, while club captain Nama Xaba’s campaign is also over (broken finger).
“We saw Shaun leave the field pretty early. That’s his season pretty done for us,: Nomlomo said.
“We also saw PA leave in the first half. Unfortunately, that’s also his season over.”
He added that the captain’s absence was a particular blow. Experienced Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg will captain the team in his absence.
JJ Theron and Neil Le Roux have also been ruled out, while the fitness of Devon Williams remains uncertain heading into the weekend.
Nomlomo pointed to the demands of running three squads simultaneously as a key factor behind the mounting casualty list, with players shared between the Currie Cup side, a group preparing for a fixture against the All Blacks in two weeks, and an Under-20 team that kicks off its own season this weekend.
“We’re servicing three teams at the moment,” he said. “So it’s all hands on deck, and we’re giving it our best shot in terms of trying to make sure that all teams are as competitive as possible. Our depth is really tested.”
Asked whether the Bulls XV would follow other franchises in calling up U20 players to bolster the senior squad, as the Pumas have done, Nomlomo confirmed reinforcements were on the way.
“Everyone who was part of that World Championship Under-20 winning side comes back to us, bar maybe a guy like Luan [Giliomee], and will be part of the 23.”
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