Casualty Ward Rd 2
Super Rugby 2019 is here! Round 1 flew by and the away teams almost had it all their own way. With so many new faces taking the field this year it has never been more important to know exactly what each teams injuries are.
Season 2 Episode 7 of the @DraftRugby podcasts will be available from Tuesday morning (AEST). Cargie, Harry & Nelson review round 2 and look forward on whats to come next week, all through a Fantasy Rugby lense. Tune in, rate, review and share us. You'll find us across all platforms on the links below:
Returned from injury in Rd 2:
Matt Proctor (Hurricanes) - Pulled from the Waratah's game pre match due to illness. Went the distance and looked solid without being spectacular.
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs) – Ankle injury. Not serious but they decided to give him the extra week to recover. He will be back in Rd 2. Source here.
Kurtley Beale (Waratahs) - Rested in Round 1. Started in the 12 jersey and looked good in attack for a few touches. An all round scrappy game made it hard for him to fully impose himself.
Eben Etzebeth (Stormers) – Was expected to miss the first week or two as he gets back to full fitness from an off season injury. Came off the bench.
Stephan Lewies (Lions) – Came back from his pec muscle injury. Started but wasn't really seen.
Kwagga Smith (Lions) – Missed rd 1 with a calf strain. Started at blindside in rd 2.
Curwin Bosch (Sharks) - Ruled out of Rd 1 with a shoulder injury. Played 40 minutes and made an immediate impact with a couple of line breaks and a long intercept try.
Thomas du Toit (Sharks) – Pulled out from the Lions trial due to an ankle injury. Came back via the bench for 28 minutes. Didn't have a big impact.
Frans Malherbe (Stormers) - Wilco Louw pulled out with injury so he ended up starting.
Sergeal Petersen (Stormers) - We didn't know he was injured before, but never the less he is back and started.
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New Injuries Rd 2:
Rob Thompson (Highlanders) - Left ankle injury in rd 2. Will be out for 3-4 weeks (return rd 6-7) . Source here.
Ben Smith (Highlanders) - Rested for rd 3. Source here.
Aaron Smith (Highlanders) - Rested for rd 3. Source here.
Luke Whitelock (Highlanders) - Rested for rd 3. Source here.
Liam Coltman (Highlanders) - Rested for rd 3. Source here.
Tevita Li (Highlanders) - Rested for rd 3. Source here.
Manasa Mataele (Crusaders) - Injured his knee trying to put a step on. Still waiting on his scan results but my guess is ACL! Beware the fake news going on about him being okay here.
Nathan Harris (Chiefs) - Walked off early in the second half, later confirmed to be a neck injury. Won't play in rd 3 for an AB rest week. Source here.
Tyler Ardron (Chiefs) - Suffered a concussion in the game. Still going through concussion protocols. Source here.
Michael Allardice (Chiefs) - Had a knee injury. He is available for this week none the less. Source here.
Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs) - AB rest week for rd 3. Source here.
Nepo Laulala (Chiefs) - AB rest week for rd 3. Source here.
Caleb Clarke (Blues) - Pulled pregame for a knee injury rd 2. Apparently could be out for 8 weeks. Source here.
Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes) - Set to rest for rd 3 as part of the mandatory rest weeks. Source here.
Gareth Evans (Hurricanes) - Has a calf strain and won't play rd 3. No more detail on the severity. Source here.
Tolu Latu (Waratahs) - Latu has been cited for an incident 'worthy of a red card' after hitting a maul just before full time. He has been banned for 6 weeks. We are completely confused by this one but take a look for yourself. See the video here.
Sam Carter (Brumbies) - Left at home from the NZ tour to recover from a quad cork. Source here.
Semisi Masirewa (Sunwolves) - Concussion.
Craig Millar (Sunwolves) - Suffered a fracture and dislocation in his left foot. Will be out for 12 weeks starting rd 3. Source here.
Ed Quirk (Sunwolves) - Tore the MCL on the inside of his knee. Requires an operation and 8-10 weeks off (20th April- 5th May). Source here.
Louis Schreuder (Sharks) - Looked to have a shoulder injury but battled on regardless. Probably won't miss any time.
Sbu Nkosi (Sharks) - Taken off on a stretcher for a neck injury. Later seen walking around and it was confirmed the injury was only muscular.
Warren Whiteley (Lions) - Came off with a shoulder injury, now reported as a mid grad pec tear. He will miss 6-8 weeks (rd 9-11). Source here.
Lood de Jager (Bulls) - Will miss at least 2 weeks with a shoulder injury, getting a scan on Wednesday to assess it further. Source here.
Jerónimo De la Fuente (Jaguares) - took a blow to the shoulder. Will miss 3-4 weeks with his earliest return after the South African tour finishes.
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Likely back for this week (Rd 3):
Brad Weber (Chiefs) - Has recovered from his concussion and is available for selection. Source here.
Angus Ta'avao (Chiefs) - Away on leave in rd 2. Apparently not injured!
Marty McKenzie (Chiefs) -Has recovered from his hip operation and is available for selection. Source here.
Sean Wainui (Chiefs) – Injured his wrist, now available for selection . Source here.
Alex Nankivell (Chiefs) - Apparently had an ankle injury, is now available for selection. We always thought he was a good shout for the No. 12 jersey. Source here.
Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) – Confirmed that he can miss the first 2 rounds as part of his contract, doesn't count as part of his two enforced All Blacks rest weeks. Expect him to play rd 3. Source here.
Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes) - Starting at no. 6 after recovering from a hamstring tear. Source here.
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes) - Had a minor MCL sprain on the inside of his knee. Rested for round 2. Source here.
Codie Taylor (Crusaders) – Missed the first two games of the season as part of his All Black's rest. Source here.
Blake Gibson (Blues)– Rolled his ankle on the 26th of Jan against the Chiefs. Out for one month from this date, so I assume it is a grade 2 injury. Worst case it could be a couple weeks longer than that. Source here.
Scott Scrafton (Blues) - In rd 3 of 2018 year he did his ACL, LCL and ripped the tendon off the bone. Was told 9-12 months to return to play and was aiming for rd 1. Did play for the Blues development side in rd 2 so his a chance this week.
Tom Franklin (Highlanders) - Available for selection this week after returning from Japan. Named on the bench. Lineup here.
Elliot Dixon (Highlanders) - Available for selection this week after returning from Japan. Named at No. 8. Source here.
David Pocock (Brumbies) - Concussion within the first few minutes of the season. Named for round 3. Source here.
Reece Hodge (Rebels) – Fractured his ankle on the end of year tour. Will come back off the bench in rd 3.
Adam Coleman (Rebels) – Calf tear from the Wallabies training camp. Named to come back via the bench this week. Source here.
Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares) – Sounds like he has a hamstring tear. Due round 3 or 4, however he wasn't named in the train on team which is normal a fair reflection of what's to come. Source here.
Marius Louw (Sharks) - Fit again for rd 2 but wasn't selected. Maybe this week? Source here.
Cobus Wiese (Stormers) – Took a head knock in preseason, apparently okay but considering his previous neck injury they decided to tread cautiously and rest him for round 1. Back doing full training Source here.
Juarno Augustus (Stormers) - Was considered a chance in Rd 2, apparently the Stormers are really ken to get him on the field. Source here.
Seabelo Senatla (Stormers) - Expected to be back for Rd 3 after dislocating his finger on the 19th Feb. Source here.
Dillyn Leyds (Stormers)- Injured and unavailable for rd 2. Declared fit for this week. Source here.
Wilco Louw (Stormers) - Fit after his injury before rd 2. Source here.
Ross Cronje (Lions) – Off season shoulder op, in an interview before rd 2 he said he would be back in a week or 2. Source here.
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Ongoing Injury List:
NEW ZEALAND
All Blacks are expected to miss two weeks during the Super Rugby season, and only to play 180 minutes in the first 3 rounds.
All Blacks are also not meant to play 5 game weeks in a row.
Highlanders
Kalolo Tuiloma – The prop is unavailable due to injury. No more news yet. Source here.
Liam Squire - Unavailable with a chronic hip injury as of round 2. Apparently he is doubtful for rd 3, but should be right" in the next couple of weeks". Source here.
Richard Buckman - Apparently not ready after playing in Japan for Rd 3. Expected back the following week. Source here.
Hurricanes
The Hurricanes in 2018 wouldn’t play anyone that isn’t fit to play fully on Monday of the game week.
Nehe Milner-Skudder – Injured his shoulder on November 3. “Still going to miss a few weeks yet”. Source here.
Toby Smith - Pulled late from the final trial due to concussion. Not sure when he will be back. Source here.
Alex Fidow - Has a shoulder injury. Not sure how severe it is. Source here.
James Marshall - Confirmed to have dislocated his shoulder in rd 1. Will be out for a fair while. Source here.
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.”
Sam Cane – Fractured his neck against South Africa last year. Targeting a May return
Kane Hames – Still going through concussion protocols from last year, expected to play “very soon”, but no clear time line. Source here.
Solomon Alaimalo – Small wrist fracture from the trial on the 25th of Jan.
Apparently he could play in week 4. Source here.
Luke Jacobson – was only cleared to return to contact in the first week of Feb following a head knock against the Hurricanes on July. Source here.
Jack Debreczeni – Has an abdominal strain, should be back for rd 4. Source here.
Atu Moli - Pulled pre-game rd 1 with an elbow injury. Will be out for 4-5 weeks.
Liam Polwart – Had a preseason concussion and was being monitored as of the 5th Feb. Who knows with these injuries, but we expect him back for Rd 2. Source here.
Crusaders
Sam Whitelock – The All Blacks have ordered him to miss the first month of the season. Source here.
Kieran Read – The All Blacks have ordered him to miss the first four weeks of the season as well. Source here.
Israel Dagg – Rehabbing his “troublesome”, arthritic knee. Doing everything he can to be available for selection but it sounds like he is well and truly up against it. Source here.
Tim Perry - Looks like he has broken his forearm. Expect him to be out for six weeks. Source here.
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.
Jed Brown – Went off with a sore calf in the trial on the 25th of Jan. Doesn’t sound like much, but missed the trial and Rd 1 of the season.
Stephen Perofeta – Preseason pec muscle injury, apparently he could be gone for 16 weeks! Season pretty much gone....
Matt Duffie – Hamstring tear
Leni Apisai – Neck
Ezekiel Lindenmuth – Knee
Sam Nock – Calf
Jacob Pierce – Ankle
Jordan Trainor – Thigh
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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. Some reports suggest they could miss as much as 20% of the season. Source here.
Brumbies
Toni Pulu - Fractured his cheek. Went straight to hospital for surgery and is expected to miss a good chunk of the season, I'd expect 6 weeks. Source here.
Henry Speight - Looks like a hip pointer in rd 1. Limped off but looked minor. Not named in rd 3 so surely he played rd 4! Source here.
Lausii Taliauli – Came off after landing heavily on his knee in the trial against the Waratahs on the 7th of Feb. Still not right for Rd 3 so should be right the following week. Source here.
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.
Matt McGahan – Arrived at training before christmas with a broken leg. Not sure of the severity but it means he won’t start running until at least February, and probably will miss the start of the season. Source here.
Scott Higginbotham - Out of the round 2 with a shoulder niggle. Source here.
JP Smith - Has a knee injury, not sure how long he is out for. Source here.
Rebels
Jordan Uelese – Still recovering from a knee reconstruction. Ruptured his ACL in June, a 9 month recovery therefore puts his return date around early March. Source here.
Matt Toomua – Playing for Leicester until at least the 18th of May. Won’t be back before round 15 at the earliest.
Waratahs
Michael Wells – Juggling 7s and Waratahs this year. He should play the Las Vegas (March 1-3) and Vancouver (March 9-10) stops on the world tour before he reverts to the Tahs for the bulk of the Super Rugby campaign. Thanks to an early Tahs bye, this means he should only miss three games for them. Source here.
Tom Robertson – ACL reconstruction (knee) in mid October. Will rule him out for 6-9 months (normally 9), so we could see him anywhere from mid April to mid July. Source here.
Lalakai Foketi – Came off in the trial against the Brumbies on the 7th of Feb with what looked like a hamstring injury. Out for up to a month. Source here.
Shambeckler Vui – Limped off the field in the final trial with a foot sprain and is likely to miss a few weeks. Source here.
Nick Phipps – Calf injury, expected to miss 2-3 rounds. Source here.
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SOUTH AFRICA
Sharks
Jean-Luc du Preez – Injured his groin playing Gloucester in his short term deal with Sale Sharks just before the end of December. Should miss the first two months of the season! Source here.
Philip van der Walt – Going to miss the first two to three weeks. Source here.
Stormers
Ramone Samuels – Severe Knee injury in August of last year. No definite come back date yet. Source here.
Paul de Wet – Injured. Not sure what the scrum-half has done. Source here.
EW Viljoen – Having surgery for a stress fracture. Should be back in March. Source here.
Steven Kitshoff – Tore his hamstring in the last trial, didn't play rd 1, however no predicted recovery time has been made yet. There has been no word of a return for Rd 2 (unlike many of their other players), so he might miss a few more weeks yet.
Salmaan Moerat - Injured but no word on what he has done. Source here.
Bulls
Travis Ismaiel – Was expected to have recovered from shoulder surgery for the start of the season but needed a revision surgery, he is now doing some training and could be back by rd 4 or 5. Source here.
Jaco Visagie – Ankle injury required surgery. Started some training before Rd 3. Likely back round 4 or 5. Source here.
Roelof Smit - Back training before round 3. Back by rd 5 at the latest. Source here.
Johnny Kotze - Out of round 2 with viral meningitis, likely to miss another three weeks yet. Source here.
Jano Venter – Originally out for the first two months of the season. Apparently he has restarted training and could be back for rd 4 or 5. Source here.
Edgar Marutlulle – Injured his achilles, expected back rd 6-7. Source here.
Marco van Staden – Shoulder injury will rule him out until about rd 6-7. Source here.
RG Snyman – Forced to have ankle surgery after playing in Japan. due back round 6-7. Source here.
Marnitz Boshoff – Expected back in April. At least six weeks from Rd 3. Source here.
Duncan Matthews – Carried off the field in the trial and had ankle surgery on the 11th of Feb. Will be out for 8 weeks, putting him back around round 8-9.
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.
Len Massyn – Shoulder injury, aiming to be back in April. Source here.
Robbie Coetzee – Still recovering from a long term injury. No timeline for a return yet, but won’t be right for rd 2. Source here.
Cyle Brink – Knee injury, originally reported to be on track for the second or third Super Rugby game. Now we hear he could be out for a while yet. Source here.
Johannes Jonker – Still recovering from a long term injury. Source here.
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ARGENTINA/JAPAN
Jaguares
Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro – Right shoulder injury, missed the first trial against the Bulls. Source here. Update: Paul Tait says he is back into full training as of the 30th of January. Update: A new report says he won’t be back until March. Source here.
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.
Lomano Lemeki – Revealed he has a stress fracture in his groin, and will “require a month or two” to heal. Source here.
Hosea Saumaki - Still on the injury list. No idea what the injury is, and we haven't been giving a return date. Thanks Rich Freeman for the info. UPDATE: Apparently he is on the plane to New Zealand!
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Gone for the season:
Aki Seiuli (Highlanders) – Apparently out for the season.
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.
Sam Lousi (Hurricanes) – Torn his pec muscle, having an operation and is out for the year. Source here.
Ben Hyne (Brumbies) – Re-tore his ACL just before Christmas, will likely miss the full season. Source here.
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.
Shota Horie (Sunwolves) – Had surgery on his right foot to treat a stress fracture. His return is not clear at this stage, however he is targeting playing in the Pacific Nations Cup in July. Source here.
Rene Ranger (Sunwolves) - Did his ACL trying to step off his right leg in rd 1. Gone for the season.
Garth April (Bulls) – Required surgery on his shoulder and probably won't be seen for the season.
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.
Have we missed something? Drop a comment or tweet and let us know.
Written by your local rugby nerd Harrison Dale.