Jan Serfontein in doubt ahead of Ireland clash
Springbok centre Jan Serfontein could miss the Ireland series after failing to respond to treatment for a wrist injury.Serfontein sustained the injury while playing for the Bulls in Super Rugby. He experienced pain and discomfort during the Springbok training this week and a scan revealed he had fractured a scaphoid bone. Serfontein‚ 23‚ will see a specialist in Pretoria this weekend before a final call on his availability is made. But he could be out for months. “At this point in time Jan could be unavailable for a few weeks depending on how the specialists in Pretoria see it‚” coach Allister Coetzee said. “Losing a player like Serfontein is a setback. You would always like your best players available. But it's an opportunity again for some other players. “We are covered with what we have at the moment‚ so I won't make any rush decisions. JP Pietersen has played centre before and Patrick Lambie has played there.” Lions centre Lionel Mapoe‚ who didn't train for the first two days‚ has been declared fit meaning that with Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende‚ Coetzee has three fit centres to consider for the first Test against Ireland at Newlands next week. Flyhalf Elton Jantjies‚ who suffered a broken finger two weeks ago‚ is also set to be fit for the first Test after responding well to treatment. Another who could be in for a surprise selection is lock Pieter-Steph du Toit. Earlier in the week he was in doubt for the series after suffering a hamstring tear‚ but he ran at training on Friday. “There are no worries about Elton at the moment. He participated in our sessions today and will be ready to take contact on Monday‚” said Coetzee. “There was also concern over Trevor Nyakane‚ and the news there is that he is good to go. Pieter-Steph du Toit ran well today and we will make a final decision on him on Monday. There is an outside chance he could be ready to play‚ though when it comes to a hamstring injury I prefer to err on the side of caution.” The Boks dispersed on Friday and will regroup in Cape Town on Sunday. - TMG Digital..
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