The Vodacom Bulls were dealt another injury blow ahead of their next Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against Zebre after it emerged that veteran Springbok Willie le Roux will be out of action for at least a month after undergoing a shoulder operation on Monday.
Le Roux, who currently has 97 test caps, is keen to get to 100 this year and the Bulls will want him available for the business end of the URC, so it seems the operation was more to fix a minor problem than any major concern.
“We can confirm that Willie le Roux - this afternoon - underwent a minor repair in the shoulder/neck area. He is expected to return to full fitness within a short period of time as the procedure was a success,” a Bulls spokesperson said on enquiry confirming his absence.
The procedure was to fix an old injury, and not a new injury and Le Roux is expected to be out for four weeks.
Not good to see Willie Le Roux like this…
— Angus (@AnalystGus) March 24, 2025
Both for the Bulls URC hopes and for his attempt to get his 100th Springbok Cap in July 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/fWuZfUBgXR
DOUBLE INJURY DOUBTS AND A PENDING SUSPENSION
This comes hot on the heels of a number of concerns for coach Jake White ahead of the Zebre game, as he is certain to lose winger Sebastian de Klerk to suspension, and has concerns about Springbok forwards Cameron Hanekom and Johan Grobbelaar as well.
Le Roux’s absence means another enforced change is set to be made when the team is announced on Friday.
But the good news is that Canan Moodie should be back in line for selection, after missing the Leinster game with concussion.
Moodie is expected to complete his return to play protocol in time for the game this weekend, so that will sort out the De Klerk headache for White.
At fullback though, it is anyone’s guess. Jaco van der Walt has not been seen for ages, and is likely to still be struggling with injury while Henry Immelmann has been loaned to the Sharks for the foreseeable future.
Devon Williams, who has played 15 on a number of occasions, is the favourite to take Le Roux’s spot for the game against Zebre.
But the prognosis for Hanekom and Grobbelaar is uncertain and is sure to cause some anxious team management meetings this weekend.
The bigger concern at the moment is Grobbelaar, who was nursing a shoulder injury after the game and depending on how he reacts, could determine whether he takes the field on Saturday against Zebre or not.
Hanekom’s situation though is also fluid - as the last time he took a knock, he was out for a number of weeks and missed some of the local derbies as a result.
Therefore, as the Bulls don’t send out injury updates, their faithful fans will have to wait until Friday before they know if they are able to count on either player.
COSTLY WIN
Hanekom - the Bulls “Racehorse” - as coach Jake White has referred to him - went off in the 47th minute and was replaced by Marco van Staden. He had just returned for this game.
White wasn’t too perturbed over Hanekom after the game, saying: “He fell badly and twisted his lower back. It was just a fall and a spasm in his lower back.
“And when you are a racehorse like he is and because they are so athletic they feel it more than other players. I don’t think it is serious. He is walking around now.”
White went on to say the win had come at a cost.
“But it has come at a cost because you can imagine, a red card and he will be out next week. Grobbies is sitting with a sore shoulder, so we will have to see how he goes. One of the things that is so tough about this competition is that every week we lose between two and three players.
“You either get a suspension or an HIA or a long-term injury. If you work it out, what happens is you have 55 players with two and a half a week not available, after five, six weeks of consecutive rugby. If we win every game now, we’ve got 13 more Saturdays that we play, consecutively.
“So to have a bench like we did, can only be positive for us.”
The Bulls are still without the likes of Cobus Wiese and Johan Goosen, both of whom won't be back for another few weeks, meaning they are likely to miss the trip to Bayonne for the EPCR Challenge Cup, but could be back for the blockbuster away games against Glasgow Warriors and Munster next month.
The Bulls will name their side for the clash against Zebre, who came very close to beating the Sharks in Durban last weekend, on Friday.