Pumas pay dear price for big win
INJURY PRICE: The Pumas have paid a dear price for their impressive 39-10 demolition of the Lions last Friday.
Seasoned front row forward Corné Fourie has suffered a serious knee injury and will almost certainly be sidelined for the season.
“Corné is a long-term injury,” Stonehouse said of the utility front row forward – who played at loosehead prop against the Lions, but is equally at home at hooker.
The 32-year-old, who previously played 70-odd games for the Lions and most recently had a couple of seasons with Gloucester in the Premiership, twisted his knee awkwardly in a tackle and was stretchered off in the 50th minute.
To complicate matters for the Nelspruit-based outfit – who travel to Pretoria this Friday to face the defending-champion Bulls at Loftus Versfeld – is that Morgan Naudé, who missed the Lions game with a calf injury, remains sidelined.
The Pumas coach said he will lean on Dewald Maritz and Ruan Kramer this week, while Justin Forwood can cover both sides of the front row.
With Abraham le Roux having undergone neck surgery earlier this year, the elbow injury suffered by veteran Simon Westraadt would have caused some concern.
However, Westraadt – 35 and with over 100 first-class games between Griquas and the Pumas – have been cleared for the trip to Pretoria.
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