Stegmann's imminent return
Bulls loose forward Deon Stegmann will return to the playing field next week.
Team doctor Org Strauss confirmed on Tuesday that the stalwart will be available for selection for their encounter with the Rebels next week.
However, he is not yet ready for this week's big north-south derby, when the Bulls travel to Cape Town to tackle the Stormers on Saturday.
Stegmann is in the final stage of recovery following a groin operation.
While being able to remove Stegmann from the long-term injury list was a boost to the Bulls, there is the flipside.
Springbok lock Flip van der Merwe and loose forward Jacques du Plessis will not feature again this season.
Van der Merwe injured his knee whilst on Bok duty and was ruled out for six months.
Du Plessis broke his jaw in a warm-up match against Namibia. He has been ruled out for at least five weeks.
Other players on the mend include Tian Schoeman (ankle, six to eight weeks till his return), Pierre Spies (Bicep tear, four to five months), Arno Botha (knee surgery, four to five months), Frik Kirsten (neck surgery, four months), Jaco Visagie (knee surgery, three to four months) and Rohan Janse van Rensburg (ankle, four to five weeks).
Travis Ismaiel (finger dislocation) will train next week, whilst Waylon Murray (ankle) will train on Thursday.
