Springbok prop Julian Redelinghuys injured and will not travel with the 27-man Springbok squad to Argentina after the front ranker was on Sunday ruled out of action for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
Redelinghuys Injured Out of Pumas clash
He suffered the injury in Saturday’s 30-23 Springbok win over the Pumas in Nelspruit. Redelinghuys will continue with his rehabilitation at the Emirates Lions.
“Losing Julian is a massive blow to us because it comes at a time when he is playing really good rugby. Vincent Koch extremely did well when he came on a replacement, and Julian’s injury now presents him with an ideal opportunity,” said Springbok coach Allister Coetzee.
Prop Lourens Adriaanse, who joined the squad last week, is included in the tour squad along with Trevor Nyakane, Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert and Morné Steyn.
Meanwhile, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard will continue with his knee treatment and will not travel to Argentina when the squad leaves on Monday morning from Johannesburg.
The Springboks kicked off their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign with a 30-23 victory over the Pumas on Saturday. The two sides now meet for the second successive week, this time in Salta in Argentina.
Coetzee said he was glad for the winning start but cautions that his side will face a stiff challenge against the Puma on their home soil.
“The players showed great resilience on Saturday, they stayed calm and stuck to the plan, especially in the last ten minutes. We continue to work and focus on our team cohesion and we know the challenge we will face in Argentina,” said Coetzee.
The South Africans arrive on Monday evening in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires where they will resume their match preparations before heading to Salta on Friday.
