Photo Credit - Speedshots.co.za
Springbok number eight Duane Vermeulen was confirmed not available for immediate selection by Springbok coach Jaques Nienaber during a media session this afternoon. No replacement for Vermeulen is planned at this stage according to Nienaber.
It was confirmed that Vermeulen underwent surgery, early this morning to repair ligament damage he suffered a week ago in the Rainbow Cup encounter between the Bulls and Stormers at Loftus Versfeld this past Friday.
It is expected that Vermeulen's rehabilitation to match fitness will most probably take a minimum of eight weeks which will make him unavailable for selection for most of the B&I Lions tour. He might be available for the third and final test against the touring squad.
The B&I Lions tour gets underway on July 3 – when they face the Johannesburg-based Lions at Ellis Park. They face the Sharks (July 7, Ellis Park), the Bulls (July 10, Loftus Versfeld), South Africa ‘A’ (July 14, Cape Town Stadium), Stormers (July 17, Cape Town Stadium).
The Test matches are on Saturday, July 24 (Cape Town Stadium), Saturday, July 31 (FNB Stadium) and Saturday, August 7 (FNB Stadium).