In the center of the Rugby Championship, it was confirmed that Pollard had picked up a knee injury and though it was initially thought that he could also be out of motion for six weeks, subsequent studies indicated it might be longer than that.
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber not too long ago steered it was unlikely that Pollard can be out there for the Boks’ upcoming end-of-year tour, however this previous month there was a optimistic replace after the flyhalf underwent additional assessments at English membership, the Leicester Tigers.
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“The body is good,” he stated. “I am really coming along nicely. [I’m] Just trying to get as much done as possible. I’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick, from the initial diagnosis we had in Australia, I’ve come back to London and got a different one, which was a lot more positive. I’m working hard, it’s really feeling good, so we will see how we go on from here.”
It’s already been confirmed that Pollard didn’t undergo a recurrence of an ACL rupture that he suffered throughout his time enjoying in France.
“This is completely different,” he stated. “It’s a little bit of a tear in the meniscus. It’s a lot better than we originally thought and it’s going really well. We’re still taking it day by day. We’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick but I am very excited and optimistic. I should be good to go for the Autumn series.”
However, Pollard made his highly-anticipated return to motion in opposition to Saracens on Saturday, however then limped off simply 27 minutes into his Leicester debut.
It’s not but clear whether or not it was only a precautionary measure, nevertheless it’s comprehensible that there’s now renewed concern over the potential of Pollard having return to motion too quickly.
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Pollard’s expertise was missed by the Boks
After Pollard was injured, Damian Willemse shifted to flyhalf earlier than struggling a concussion that left the Boks ready the place they’d little possibility however to show to Frans Steyn, who final weekend began his first Test at 10 since 2008.
Meanwhile, it was not too long ago confirmed that the Boks’ World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman will nonetheless be unavailable for the primary few rounds of the brand new URC season, nevertheless it now seems that his absence might lengthen in the direction of the top of the yr.
Snyman arrived in Ireland in May 2020 to hitch Munster following the cancellation of the rest of the 2019–20 Japan Top League as a result of Covid-19. The Bok lock then made his debut for Munster of their 27–25 defeat in opposition to Leinster on 22 August 2020, although his first look for the province lasted solely seven minutes after he suffered a torn ACL throughout a lineout.
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It was the beginning of loads of difficult instances to return for Snyman, who has been beset with accidents all through his first stint with Munster, whereas he was additionally dramatically concerned in a firepit accident final yr, with the towering second rower struggling extreme burns.
Towards the top of final yr, highly effective lock underwent knee surgical procedure after re-rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, with Snyman having managed simply 4 appearances in two years for Munster, whereas he has largely been unavailable to the Springboks.
In what gave the impression to be some encouraging information on the injury entrance, although, Munster not too long ago confirmed there are optimistic indicators when it comes to his restoration. Yet, the newest replace just isn’t so optimistic, and it seems extremely unlikely that Snyman might be out there for the Boks or his membership any time quickly.
“He’s not quite there yet,” Munster head coach Graham Rowntree commented. “He’s had a very difficult year and we’re not pushing him. All I can say at this point, for the foreseeable, he’s not quite ready yet.”
TOP 10 IN THE LATEST WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS:
1. Ireland – 90.03
2. France – 89.41
3. South Africa – 89.00
4. New Zealand – 87.30
5. England – 86.25
6. Scotland – 81.93
7. Wales – 81.28
8. Argentina – 81.21
9. Australia – 80.65
10. Japan – 77.74
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