CAPE TOWN, AUG 6 – South Africa’s talismanic flank Schalk
Burger has been ruled out of the inaugural four-nation Rugby
Championship and in-form JP Pietersen will miss most of the
tournament.
Burger, capped 68 times, injured his knee at the end of
February but there has been no progress in his rehabilitation
according to Allister Coetzee, coach of his club Stormers.
“The position with Schalk is very frustrating and we are
going to get a full assessment shortly from a physician on where
it should be taken from here but you can take it as read that we
won’t see Schalk play before the end of this season,” Coetzee
told the Supersport.com website.
“Without even looking at the physician’s report, we are
writing him off for the year.”
Pietersen, a 26-year-old veteran of 45 tests, suffered a
fracture of the thumb during the weekend’s Super Rugby final
and will undergo surgery on Wednesday.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has recalled Stormers centre
Juan de Jongh, a 2011 World Cup player and a controversial
omission from the original squad, in Pietersen’s place.
The 24-year-old De Jongh made his Springbok debut against
Wales in 2010 and has 10 test caps.
“We decided to pick Juan as he provides midfield cover, an
area where we are perhaps a bit thin now that JP is out,” Meyer
said in a statement on Monday.
“Losing JP is obviously a massive blow as he’s been playing
some superb rugby lately, but Juan has also been in good form
for the Stormers and was one of the unlucky players to miss out
on initial selection.
The Rugby Championship replaces the Tri-Nations this year
with Argentina joining the existing line-up of South Africa,
Australia and New Zealand. South Africa finished last in last
year’s Tri-Nations, with just one win in four matches.
(Reporting by Ken Borland; Editing by Brian Homewood)
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