Eben Etzebeth injury scare for Boks

Springbok stand-in captain Eben Etzebeth is in doubt for the first Test of their November tour against Ireland after sustaining an ankle injury during training this week.

Eleven contracted Boks were at a training camp in Stellenbosch this week where Etzebeth‚ who is still recovering from concussion sustained against the All Blacks at Newlands on October 7‚ picked up the problem.

Etzebeth is now doubtful to face Ireland in Dublin on November 11‚ but should be fit for the remainder of the matches against France in Paris‚ Italy in Padova and Wales in Cardiff.

Etzebeth twisted his ankle during a training session and as a precaution he was taken for an MRI scan‚ which revealed a low-grade ligament injury‚ but he should be available for the first tour match.

“We had a similar camp before the Rugby Championship and I am pleased to once more say that this camp was a very good‚ productive exercise and that I am delighted that we achieved our goals for the week‚” said Coetzee.

“This group of players were last in action almost three weeks ago against New Zealand in Cape Town‚ so apart from the much needed rest‚ it is also very important that they are rugby ready when the full squad gets together next week in Johannesburg.

“The challenges are obviously completely different to what we faced against France in June and during the Rugby Championship.

"So the manner in which we prepare before and during the tour is very important.”

During their time together‚ the players focused on sharpening their core skills and spent a lot of time on the technical aspects of their tour preparations.

According to Bok team doctor Konrad von Hagen the main aim of the get together was to assess the medical status of the group and to top up on their strength and conditioning levels.

“The players enjoyed two weeks of active rest after the conclusion of a very demanding Castle Lager Rugby Championship‚ which also included a huge amount of long distance travel‚” explained Dr Von Hagen.

“The third week (this week)‚ we used to reassess their medical status and focused on fine-tuning their strength and conditioning.”