The All Blacks’ squad depth is set for the ultimate examination ahead of their gruelling tour of South Africa, following confirmation that dynamic wing Caleb Clarke has been ruled out of the tour
The All Blacks said on Friday evening the injury required surgery and only then will a timeframe on his recovery be known. Clarke will not be immediately replaced.
“I am gutted to be going home because I’ve loved my time here so much,” Clarke said in a statement.
The Kiwis have already suffered tour-ending setbacks, including a fractured shoulder blade for outside-centre Billy Proctor and a calf injury for hooker George Bell.
Moreover, key game-changers such as outside back Will Jordan (back) and star scrum-half Cam Roigard (calf) are struggling with niggles and have been wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the Test series.
Bell was replaced by Bradley Slater and Proctor by Richie Mo’unga.
Caleb Clarke will not be facing the Springboks.
Meanwhile, the Springboks are still sweating over the availability of their captain Siya Kolisi, who suffered a recurrence of his hamstring strain in their one-off Test match against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
However, other returning stalwarts such as locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager, as well as star flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu came through the game unscathed. All three players are expected in the first Test against the All Blacks on Saturday, August 22 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The All Blacks play their third tour match against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
A Free State man was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for murdering his mother and attempting to kill his grandmother. The Viljoenskroon Regional Court sentenced 23-year-old Thabiso Motaung to an effective 25-year direct imprisonment after he was convicted on two counts after pleading guilty to both charges.The State was represented by Tumelo Sebogodi, a District Court Prosecutor who is currently undergoing training at the Regional Court.The first incident occurred in […]
