Is Vermeulen a World Cup doubt?
The Stormers went to great lengths to play down the sudden withdrawal of captain Duane Vermeulen, but admitted they could not rule out the possibility of a lengthy lay-off.
Vermeulen was a late withdrawal from the team that played to a 19-all draw with the Lions at Newlands on Saturday, with team doctor Jason Suter revealing that it was the result of a "bulging disc" in the neck.
It is believed to be an injury that has been troubling him for a few weeks now, but it flared up substantially on Friday.
While coach Allister Coetzee said he did not want to send "mixed messages", it is worth noting that it seldom happens that the team doctor is hauled out to post-match media briefings.
Such injury updates are usually only given on a Monday.
That in itself is a significant event.
Suter told the media scrum at Newlands that Vermeulen suffered from "severe neck spasms" after the captain's practice on Friday.
"We did an MRI [scan], which showed he had a bulging disc at the C5 level," the doctor said, adding: "The disc is bulging onto the nerve root and that is causing intense spasm. Based on that he was removed from the game today [Saturday], as he was not functional."
Suter added that it was "too early" to make a prognoses on the extent of the injury or the management of the player's recovery.
"At this stage he has no neurological symptoms, so he has no fall-out that requires urgent intervention or surgery.
"However, the next 24 hours will tell us a lot of how we are going to manage him and how long the expected time for recovery is."
Vermeulen will see a neurosurgeon on Monday, who will have a look at the scans – that have already been forwarded to him – to see what the potential management is going to be.
Suter was cautious not to speculate about the possible length of Vermeulen's lay-off.
"The fact is, at this stage he has no nerve signs and because he has no nerve signs it could recover quickly.
"However, if it doesn't recover then you have to do something about it and surgery potentially becomes an option."
He again said he did not want speculate about the kind of surgery or the period of the lay-off.
"According to the neurosurgeon we can't be guaranteed that the spasms are coming from that nerve root, because he is not localising to any signs."
The doctor said it was "highly unlikely" that Vermeulen would play in the final round of league action against the Sharks next week, but are aiming for to have him back for the play-offs.
Asked about the potential lay-off if surgery was required, Suter was once against very cautious and selective in his wording.
"It will depend on what surgery has to be done, whether it is a discectomy or what procedure."
However, he admitted that at this stage they can't rule out a lengthy ay-off, including the player potentially missing the World Cup.
"You can't rule that out," he said about potentially missing the World, adding: "But it would be unlikely."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
