The DHL Stormers have been handed some good news on the injury front as it was revealed that Evan Roos’ knee injury is not as bad as initially feared.
Roos was one of five players who suffered injuries in the ill-fated away Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Ulster in Belfast.
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The Springbok No 8 had to be helped off the field in the first half of the match after being cleaned out of a ruck by Ulster loose forwards Duane Vermeulen and Nick Timoney, causing him to land awkwardly and twist his knee.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, John Dobson feared that Roos had suffered a season-ending injury, especially as the 2021-22 URC Player of the Season was on crutches.
However, providing an injury update on Tuesday, Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman said that Roos could be back in time for the URC playoffs, after scans showed that he had damaged his medial cruciate ligament (MCL), rather than his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
“Evan went to the doctor and did scans yesterday (Monday), and luckily, we got some good news. The injury is not too bad,” Snyman said.
“He’s got some damage to the MCL, but the ACL is intact, so that means he’ll be back, hopefully at the start of the playoffs or a little bit earlier.
“In terms of him [not] being out for the season, that was good news from the doctor.”
Still, the injury will be a frustrating blow for Roos, who had only just returned from a break after damaging his ribs in the final Test match of 2022 against England.
“The first thing you do is put your arm around him,” Snyman said. “I know it’s frustrating, especially for a young player and the season he had last year. He started this season well, got an opportunity with the Boks, played well against England but got injured.
“Then, he played a good half of rugby against Clermont and was looking forward to build on that.
“Unfortunately, it’s part of rugby. Players there days understand it. It is frustrating, but we’re definitely keeping him around and keep motivating him.
“The great thing about our squad is that all our injured players are at the facility, and they help up analyse other teams. Say, Marcel [Theunissen] is playing this weekend, Evan will help him, and they’ll keep in contact.
“I think keeping them involved helps them a lot.”
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