VIDEO: Vermeulen injury: White fears the worst

INJURY UPDATE: Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White painted a bleak picture regarding Springboks No.8 Duane Vermeulen.

The Bulls kept their grip firmly at the top of the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA log with a nail-biting 31-27 victory over the Stormers in Pretoria on Friday.

However, the win proved to be a costly affair for the Bulls and Springboks.

Vermeulen left the field after just 32 minutes of play. He hobbled from the field and immediately strapped an ice pack to his ankle.

The severity of the injury has yet to be confirmed.

However, speaking to reporters following the hard-fought win, White admitted it was a ‘serious-looking’ ankle injury.

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“Duane is not a guy that complains easily,” White said, adding: “For him to come off and say he is sore and struggling means it is serious.

“I am hoping for his sake, that it’s just a minor twisted ankle given his ambitions of being selected for the Springbok side and playing against the British and Irish Lions”

This is certainly a major concern for the South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber as the No.8,  is expected to named in the 45-man squad for the upcoming test series against the British and Irish Lions.

Nienaber is set to name his 45-man Springboks squad on Saturday, June 5.

Meanwhile, Hershel Jantjies is another Springboks who left the field prematurely.

After the match, Stormers coach John Dobson revealed that Jantjies has been dealing with ‘respiratory illness’.

“He’s sick. He went straight off the field and has gone for medical treatment,” Dobson said.

“It was more of a respiratory illness. We weren’t sure during the warm-up whether he would make it, but he tried,”

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#MatchReport! @BlueBullsRugby kept their Loftus Versfeld winning record intact with a narrow victory over @THESTORMERS #rugby #RainbowCupSA#BULvSTO https://t.co/zi63YONft1

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) June 4, 2021