Vodacom Bulls back Johan Goosen is set for another spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to sort out a joint issue in his shoulder.
Goosen was a notable absentee from the Vodacom Bulls team to face the DHL Stormers in the north-south derby on Saturday in Pretoria.
The 30-year-old only recently returned from an 11-week layoff due to a knee ligament injury, but the Vodacom Bulls have decided to let him sort out his long-term shoulder problem now, so that he can recover in time for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs.
“He had an AC joint problem and he went and got it scanned and on the recommendation of the surgeon, he said he needs to do it sooner rather than later. After the surgery the surgeon said he was glad he did it because his shoulder was a mess,” Jake White told SuperSport.com.
“They’ve cleaned out his AC, so it is much better and he has no pain. They say around six weeks and then it is up to us. Hopefully if we don’t use him for that away trip to Ulster and Toulouse, which is like, week five and six, we will probably use him in the Currie Cup to give him some game time.
“Hopefully we can do well in all those competitions and he can get some game time “
Since returning to South Africa with the Vodacom Bulls, Goosen has had to endure two long-term knee injuries, which have delayed a potential recall to the Springbok squad.
White said that he felt Goosen was pushing himself too quickly in a quest to make the final squad that will travel to France for the World Cup later this year.
“One of the things I’m working on with him is – I don’t want him to put all his energy into the World Cup ambition. I think that has probably kept him back a bit, he has been trying too hard. And then he got injured, so I think he is trying to catch up the 11 months that he has been out with his knee and he has probably tried to hide the fact that his shoulder is sore.
“So maybe now when he comes back and he is 100 per cent and he is feeling fit and his headspace is right, we will get a special product anyway.
“I’m working hard with him not to feel down and be in a race against time. I know he thinks he is 30 now and this may be his last chance, but you look at a guy like Morne Steyn who is playing in his 150th game tomorrow, he has won two British and Irish Lions series, and he is still playing.”
Photo: Lee Warren: Gallo Images