The regular season of Super Rugby is finished! Check out all the latest updates on all Super Rugby’s injuries right here in the Casualty Ward.
Season 2 Episode 23 of the @DraftRugby podcasts will be available from Tuesday morning (AEST). Cargie, Harry & Nelson review the final round of Super Rugby, round 18, preview the quarter finals, and give you a tasty dessert, all through a Fantasy Rugby lens. Tune in, rate, review and share us. You’ll find us across all platforms on the links below:
Returned from Injury in Rd 18
Rieko Ioane (Blues) – Back after his All Black’s rest week in rd 17.
Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues) – Back after his All Black’s rest week in rd 17 .
Sonny Bill Williams (Blues) – Finally made his comeback after a rd 7 knee injury.
Caleb Clarke (Blues) – Back on the wing from a calf “Strain” in rd 16.
Brodie Retallick (Chiefs) – Back from a shoulder and wrist injury.
Nathan Harris (Chiefs) – Started after recovering from a two week quad cork.
Tei Walden (Highlanders) – Back from a rd 15 concussion.
Alex Fidow (Hurricanes) – Pulled pregame round 12 as he tried to return from an injury. Finally made his comeback off the bench and looked really damaging.
Kane Le’aupepe (Hurricanes) – Flown home with a concussion in rd 16. Started in rd 18.
Ned Hanigan (Waratahs) – Back from a rd 16 concussion.
Jack Dempsey (Waratahs) – Finally back off the bench from a rd 11 back injury.
Caleb Timu (Reds) – Got heavily concussed in rd 14. Came off the bench this week.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (Reds) – Back from a Wallabies rest week in rd 17 but didn’t last long after suffering a first half concussion.
Will Genia (Rebels) – Missed last week for his final Wallabies rest.
Tomás Lezana (Jagures) – Back from a two week hamstring tear.
Damian de Allende (Stormers) – Back after a Springbok rest week in rd 17.
Scarra Ntubeni (Stormers)– Missed the last 2 weeks with a thigh cork, back off the bench.
Seabelo Senatla (Stormers) – Looked to have torn his hamstring in rd 16 but apparently it was a concussion. Started this week.
Duane Vermeulen (Bulls)– Started after a two week rest.
Warrick Gelant (Bulls) – Recovered from a mild hamstring tear in rd 16.
Cameron Wright (Sharks) – Back from injury off the bench this week.
New Injuries Rd 18:
Alex Nankivell (Chiefs) – Limped off the field with an injury. Now bracketed for the tour squad to Argentina for the quarter finals. Source.
Richard Judd (Hurricanes) – Pulled Pregame.
James Marshall (Hurricanes) – Came off with an elbow injury. Source.
Ross Geldenhuys (Hurricanes) – Came off in the first half with an injury.
Ben Lam (Hurricanes) – Came off with what looked to be a minor ankle injury.
Alex Hodgman (Blues) – Was a late withdrawal from the match day squad. Source.
Marika Koroibete (Rebels) – Failed his concussion test.
Nathan Vella (Sunwolves) – Came off with an injury. No more details yet.
Jaba Bregvadze (Sunwolves) – Came off with an injury. No more details yet.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (Reds) – Suffered a massive head clash and came off. Apparently had stitches through the inside of his mouth
Filipo Daugunu (Reds) – Appeared to have come off with an injury.
Lucas Paulos (Jaguares) – Failed his concussion test. Will have to go through concussion protocols to play this week, but he is unlikely in the top 23 anyway.
Juan Manuel Leguizamon (Jaguarse) – Picked up an injury during the warm up and did not take the field.
Cobus Wiese (Stormers) – Has a knee injury serious enough to rule him out of the forthcoming Currie Cup. Source.
Dillyn Leyds (Stormers) – Finished the game with a broken hand. Source.
Johan du Toit (Stormers) – Played with broken ribs. Source.
Jaco Coetzee (Stormers) – Suffered two concussions in the game. Was taken off on a medi cart after the second one. Source.
Seabelo Senatla (Stormers) – Suffered a hand injury but stayed on.
Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks) – Came off with a concussion.
Aphelele Fassi (Sharks) – Came off with a shoulder injury.
Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks) – Pulled pregame, we assume having failed to recover from his MCL injury.
Likely back for this week (Quarter Finals):
Luke Jacobson (Chiefs) – Copped a concussion leading into rd 14,, was apparently “a chance” of playing rd 18, so likely back this week. Source.
Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) – Rested in rd 18 before finals. Back this week.
Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes) – Was rested in rd 18. Back for the quarter finals.
Wes Goosen (Hurricanes) – Flown home after Rd 16 with a hamstring injury. Expected back for a quarter final. Source.
Henry Speight (Brumbies) – Didn’t recover in time to play rd 18 from his two week calf tear. Should play this week.
Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks) – Tore his MCL (knee) in round 11. Originally named to play rd 18 but got pulled late.
Schalk Brits (Bulls) – Suffered a concussion in rd 17, flying to NZ with the team this week. Source.
Jason Jenkins (Bulls) – Back in the tour squad for the quarter finals. Source.
Embrose Papier (Bulls) – Back in the tour squad for the quarter finals. Source.
Conrad van Vuuren (Bulls) – Back in the tour squad for the quarter finals. Source.
Ongoing Injury List:
NEW ZEALAND
All Blacks are expected to miss two weeks during the Super Rugby season.
All Blacks are also not meant to play more than 6 game weeks in a row.
Highlanders
Kalolo Tuiloma – The prop is out due to injury. No more news yet. Source here.
Daniel Lienert-Brown – Came off in the first half of rd 15 with a knee injury. Source.
Matt Faddes – Didn’t return after his yellow card in rd 15 because of a concussion. Source.
Ben Smith – A high hamstring tear and a concussion in round 12. Tried to recover for rd 18 but didn’t quite make it. Source.
Hurricanes
The Hurricanes in 2018 wouldn’t play anyone that isn’t fit to play fully on Monday of the game week.
Andries Ferreira – Suffered another knee injury. Has been sent back to South Africa to recover. At this stage he is not going to play with the Hurricanes, but they haven’t ruled out something in the future. Source.
Vaea Fifita – Red carded in rd 16 for a late, dangerous tackle on rival loose forward Daniel du Preez. Banned for 3 weeks so could be back for a semi-final. Source.
Chase Tiatia – Walked off with a calf tear in rd 17. In some doubt for the quarter finals. Source.
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – Came with a shoulder or neck injury in rd 17.
Chiefs
The Chiefs in 2018 – “There was a team policy this year to give injured players an extra week to ensure they were fully fit.”
Kane Hames – Still going through concussion protocols from last year, expected to play “very soon”, but no clear time line. Source here.
Michael Allardice – Came off after only 26 minutes with a knee injury in round 12. Was expected to play round 15 but wasn’t named. Source.
Crusaders
Will Jordan – Injured a ligament his foot in the first half of round 12, on track to return for the finals. Source.
Codie Taylor – Broke his finger in round 14. Confirmed he will be fit for finals. Source.
Owen Franks – Confirmed to have a small “tear” in his shoulder (I assume they mean rotator cuff). Confirmed he will be fit for finals. Source.
Blues
Jimmy Tupou – ACL reconstruction mid May 2018, “still working back from it”, standard rehab of 9 months would put him back around mid Feb, but that can vary a lot. Source here.
Stephen Perofeta – Preseason pec muscle injury, apparently he could be gone for 16 weeks! Season pretty much gone.
Leni Apisai – Neck
Ezekiel Lindenmuth – Knee
Jacob Pierce – Ankle
Jordan Trainor – Thigh
Sione Mafileo – Facing a stint on the sideline after suffering an ankle during round 10. Source.
Karl Tu’inukuafe – Pulled midweek with a viral illness before rd 14, started light training before rd 17 so his a chance for rd 18. Source.
TJ Faiane -Out of rd 18 with a hand injury. Source.
AUSTRALIA
The Australian sides have reached a “handshake agreement” with Rugby Australia to rest their Wallabies throughout the year. Most likely one or two weeks, but it is worth knowing when comparing to last seasons efforts. Source here.
Brumbies
Nil
Reds
James Tuttle – Ruptured his Achilles tendon in the NRC during late October last year. Recovery is an absolute minimum of 6 months, more likely 8-9 months (as per SBW and Slipper) which puts him at a return in May at the absolute earliest, more likely late June/ July. Probably his season gone! Source here.
Harry Hoopert – Went off on a stretcher with a neck injury in rd 15. Apparently post game he was walking around with only slight neck soreness so he should be fine but still missed rd 16. Source.
Tate McDermott – Came off with an ankle injury in rd 16. Ruled out of rd 17 but it sounds like he wasn’t too bad. I’d say he is a chance for the final game. Source.
Rebels
Adam Coleman – Injured his shoulder in rd 1y.
Waratahs
Rory O’Connor – Suffered a rib injury in rd 11. Source.
SOUTH AFRICA
Sharks
Philip van der Walt – Out with a shoulder injury in rd 16. Source.
Akker van der Merwe – Returned home before rd 13 with a shoulder injury, not in the tour squad for round 17. Source.
Lwazi Mvovo – Struggling with an ankle sprain. Originally meant to be back in round 17 but not in the tour squad. Source.
Jean-Luc du Preez – Has an MCL niggle from before rd 17. Expected back if they make finals. Source.
Curwin Bosch – Rolled his ankle in rd 17. He has had scans but apparently they haven’t released the severity of it yet. Source.
Ruan Botha – Out of rd 18 with nerve impingement in his foot. Source.
Craig Burden – Tore his hamstring on his return from bicep surgery in rd 17. Source.
Stormers
Ramone Samuels – Severe Knee injury in August of last year. No definite come back date yet. Source here.
Daniel du Plessis – Right knee injury. News has gotten worse for Dan, before round 10 they said he will “be out for a while”. Source.
SP Marais – Injured his hip flexor trying to convert the Stormers last try in rd 8. Sent home from tour so at least won’t play round 9. Source.
Ruhan Nel – Fractured his ankle at training before round 11. No word on a return date but I would think at least six weeks.
Sergeal Petersen – Went down with a knee injury at the start of rd 12. Source.
Siya Kolisi – Will wear a brace on his knee for the next 6 weeks instead of surgery after his rd 15 knee injury. This is most likely an MCL injury then. Aiming to play in the Rugby Championship. Source.
Pieter-Steph du Toit – Aggravated a preexisting shoulder injury in rd 15. Just missed out on rd 18.
JD Schickerling – Injured his hand in round 12, originally thought to be gone for the season but apparently Just missed rd 18. Source.
Herschel Jantjies – Went off with a collar bone injury after the half-hour mark. Going for scans but a fracture would be 6 weeks. Source.
Bulls
Edgar Marutlulle – Injured his achilles. Before round 6 his injury had been extended to more than six weeks away. Source.
Marnitz Boshoff – Originally expected back in April. More than six weeks from Rd 6. Source.
Marco Jansen van Vuren – On the long term injury list. More than six weeks from Rd 6. Source.
Jesse Kriel – Injured his ankle in round 11 and had surgery. Was expected to be cleared for rd 18. Source.
Jade Stighling – Came off with a concussion. Won’t play round 12. Source.
Lions
Lourens Erasmus – Fractured Tibia and Fibula through the ankle, 6-9 months recovery puts him back around June/ July so he could miss the entire season. Source here.
Pieter Jansen – Calf injury before rd 9. Source.
Warren Whiteley – His knee flared up for a second time while he missed round 15. He has had to have another option, and won’t play Super Rugby again. Source.
Stephan Lewies – Ruled out due to a knee injury that he picked up on Thursday. Has had a scan and saw a specialist, will be reassesed after rd 18. Source.
Kwagga Smith – Came off with a hamstring injury in rd 17. A scan confirms it was a grade 2 tear so he will be out for roughly six weeks. Source.
Sithembiso Sithole – Injured his right hamstring in training on Tuesday 4 June. He is expected to be fully recovered by the quarter finals. Source.
ARGENTINA/JAPAN
Jaguares
Javier Díaz – Suffered a tear to his left Adductor (groin) in rd 13, out for 3 to 4 weeks (rd 17-18). Source.
Ramiro Moyano – Tore his soleus muscle (calf) on his left leg. Expected to be out for 4-6 weeks so likely the season. Source.
Sunwolves
20 players are in an international camp from Feb 2 to March 1 so are unlikely to feature in the first 3 rounds of the year. Source here. UPDATE: Apparently they are expected back around week 6.
Ed Quirk – Tore the MCL on the inside of his knee. Requires an operation and 8-10 weeks off (20th April- 5th May). Source here.
Shane Gates – Broke through his lower leg in round 3. If he broke both bones as it looked, he will be going for surgery and should be gone for a significant period of time. Source here.
Ryohei Yamanaka – Bad concussion in rd 13. Bank’s knee collided with his head in the tackle.
Grant Hattingh – Came off early with a knee injury in rd 13, managed to limp off himself with some discomfort. No update yet.
Gone for the season:
Aki Seiuli (Highlanders) – Apparently out for the season.
Richard Buckman (Highlanders) -Having an operation on an Achilles tear, out for the season. Source.
Tevita Nabura (Highlanders) – Suffered a season ending knee injury. Source.
Bryn Gatland (Highlanders) – Came of with a serious left foot injury in round 11. Sounds like a bad Lis Franc injury which is what Nehe Milner-Skudder had last year, gone for 6 months. Source.
Mitchell Graham (Chiefs) – Fractured his tibia and fibula back in the 2017 Brisbane Tens, still unsure of a comeback date as he works with specialists to stop his leg pain. Source here 28th November. He still can’t run and doesn’t have a squad spot for 2019.
Tiaan Falcon (Chiefs) – Ruptured his Achilles tendon and is gone for the entire season. This means a big increase in minutes for Debreczini, and now Stephen Donald has been signed up. Source here.
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs) – Has torn his ACL and will be having a reconstruction in the next few weeks. Out for the season and the RWC. Source.
Mitchell Brown (Chiefs) – Injured his knee, apparently he is gone for the season. Source.
Sam Lousi (Hurricanes) – Torn his pec muscle, having an operation and is out for the year. Source here.
Vince Aso (Hurricanes) – His round 4 pec injury will now rule him out for the season. Source.
Matt Proctor (Hurricanes) – Came off with a pec tear. Flown home to NZ and will most likely miss the rest of the season. Source.
Nehe Milner-Skudder (Hurricanes) – Injured his shoulder on November 3. Didn’t recover as planned so he has gone under the knife again after rd 17. Source.
Manasa Mataele (Crusaders) – It has finally been confirmed that his season is over after rupturing his ACL. Hopefully he is back terrorising defences next season. Source here.
Israel Dagg (Crusaders) – Officially retired from rugby at age 30 due to his arthritic knee.
Tom Sanders (Crusaders) –Dislocated his shoulder in round 6. He has had surgery before round 8 and won’t be back for six months. Source. Sam Nock (Blues) – Had an operation on his finger after breaking it in round 13, gone for the season. Source.
Matt Moulds (Blues) – Done for the season with a hand injury. Source.
Ben Hyne (Brumbies) – Re-tore his ACL just before Christmas, will likely miss the full season. Source here.
David Pocock (Brumbies) – The calf tear that never ends. He has retired from Super Rugby. Source.
Josh Mann-Rea (Brumbies) – Flown home from the tour after tearing his ACL against the Stormers. Gone for the season. Source.
Jordan Petaia (Reds) – Had an operation on a Lisfranc injury from rd 3. Out for the season. Hoping to play club footy in round 17. Source.
Jack Hardy (Reds) – Tore his ACL in round 10. Gone for the year. Source.
Karmichael Hunt (Waratahs) – Injured his left knee getting caught in a clean out. Confirmed as an grade 3 MCL injury, 4-8 weeks to return so his Super Rugby season is over. Source. Some reports even say 12 weeks but that doesn’t add up for me. Source.
Israel Folau (Waratahs) – His contract has officially been torn up after he posted inflammatory posts on instagram about a month ago.
Sean McMahon (Sunwolves) – Is having preseason foot surgery on a Lisfranc injury which rules him out for the year. As a result his contract has been cancelled with the Sunwolves. Source here. Sean McMahon – Is having preseason foot surgery on a Lisfranc injury which rules him out for the year. As a result his contract has been cancelled with the Sunwolves. Source here.
Rene Ranger (Sunwolves) – Did his ACL trying to step off his right leg in rd 1. Gone for the season.
Michael Little (Sunwolves) – Concussed in rd 5. Not training with the squad before round 15, won’t play Super Rugby this year.
Garth April (Bulls) – Required surgery on his shoulder and probably won’t be seen for the season.
Lood de Jager (Bulls)– Will miss the remainder of the Super Rugby season to get shoulder surgery. He is out for 4-5 months so we expect he needs either a shoulder reconstruction or pec muscle repair. Source here.
Paul Schoeman (Bulls) – Came off with a hamstring tendon injury in rd 16. Gone for 8 weeks. Source.
Rosko Specman (Bulls) – Has a grade two hamstring tear from rd 16. This will most likely keep him out for 4-6 weeks so could be the season. Source.
Gianni Lombard (Lions) – Tore his ACL, MCL and menisucs trying step someone in round 10, gone for the season. Source.
Kobus van Dyk (Stormers) – Out for the season. Source.
Salmaan Moerat (Stomers) – Came off with what looked like a bad concussion in round 10. Confirmed he is out for the season. Source.
Juarno Augustus (Stormers) – As of rd 15 he was ruled out for the season. Source.
Eben Etzebeth (Stormers) – Broke his hand against the Lions in rd 16, gone for six weeks so his season is over. Source.
Damian Willemse (Stormers) – Injured his knee in rd 16, gone for a month so his season is over. Source.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Stormers) – Sidelined for between four and six weeks due to an ankle injury in rd 16. Source.
Gonzalo Bertranou (Jaguares) – Dislocated his shoulder and is having an operation on the 22nd of February. No return date has been set, but generally it is a five month lay off (mid July at the earliest). Source here.
Bautista Delguy (Jaguares) – Had surgery for an ankle injury after round 5 and has been ruled out for 4 months. Gone for the season. Had screws removed from his left ankle and is training heavy in the gym. Source.
Matías Alemanno (Jaguares) – Had an operation on his big toe for a Hallux Valgus (bunion), back in the gym now. Source.
Have we missed something? Drop a comment or tweet and let us know.
Written by your local rugby nerd Harrison Dale.
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