Boks suffer big blow ahead of Rugby Champs … four key players injured

The Springboks were left counting the cost of their bruising second Test loss against Ireland in Durban over the past weekend when Bok coach Rassie Erasmus announced on Tuesday that four star players would miss the start of the Rugby Championship next month.

Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, Franco Mostert and Malcolm Marx all picked up injuries against the Irish and will be unavailable for the first Test Down Under against Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on August 10.

Kolbe is expected to be available for the second Test in Perth a week later, which Du Toit is expected to be touch and go for, while Mostert and Marx will be in a race against time to be fit for the first All Blacks Test at Ellis Park at the end of August.

Marx injured again

Marx was injured in a terrible crocodile roll cleanout at a ruck that saw Ireland captain Caelan Doris yellow carded for his part in it, and it can be considered lucky that he didn’t reinjure his knee ligaments, that had kept him out since the World Cup last year, with his first game back against Wales last month.

“Franco is out for six weeks, he broke his leg, and Malcolm, I just heard now, he’s got a little bit of a tibia fracture from when he got injured (cleaned out),” explained Erasmus.

“Pieter-Steph is out for four to six weeks, and Kolbe looks like he will be ready for the second Test in Australia.”

Moodie back in business

Recent Bok debutant and Lions flyer Edwill van der Merwe, who picked up an injury for his Lions franchise in the Currie Cup match against the Pumas over the past weekend, is ruled out for the next six weeks.

In better news, Canan Moodie, who was expected to be in the running for the Test against Portugal this weekend in Bloemfontein, is almost fully recovered from the hand injury he picked up with the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship, with Erasmus saying he would be back in full training next week and available for the tour to Australia.