Bulls’ worst fears confirmed as Lood and Lizo break down

Two of their most in-form players will not be available for the Bulls for the rest of Super Rugby with the news on Monday that lock Lood de Jager and prop Lizo Gqoboka both suffered long-term injuries in the win over the Sharks at the weekend.

Both players underwent scans on Monday afternoon and team doctor Herman Rossouw was disappointed that he had no good news to tell with the worst-case scenario proving true.

De Jager suffered a complete tear of the pectoral muscle in his chest wall and will not be available for at least four months.

The 2015 SA Rugby Player of the Year will consult a specialist, but typically that sort of injury can take up to six months until the player is fully fit again, meaning De Jager could miss the rest of the year’s action.

The 25-year-old looked a certainty for Rassie Erasmus’s first Springbok squad and, with Eben Etzebeth yet to make his return from long-term injury, the national team’s second-row stocks have suffered significant thinning out.

Gqoboka has torn a tendon in the big toe of his left foot and will require surgery, ruling him out for at least four to six months as well. The impressive 28-year-old was also a contender for Springbok selection, although the likes of Steven Kitshoff and Tendai Mtawarira were probably ahead of him in the loosehead queue.

The Bulls, with Pierre Schoeman suspended, don’t have the same depth at loosehead prop and coach John Mitchell mentioned the possibility of getting a player on loan for their trip to Argentina to play the Jaguares this weekend.

Mitchell will be hoping one of the Pro14 sides – either the Cheetahs or Southern Kings – shares a front-ranker with them.

Free Stater Ox Nche could be a potential target as he looks to push for a place in the Springbok squad as well.

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