Thursday’s rugby news has Pocock and Toomua on track to play, World Rugby cracks down on rolling mauls, Stormers lose Vermeulen and De Villiers to return.
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Pocock, Toomua on Track
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is optimistic that both Matt Toomua and David Pocock will be able to play this weekend despite suffering injuries against the Crusaders.
Pocock suffered a concussion and missed the second half of the match whilst Toomua continues to have trouble with an ankle injury.
“So he’s on track to play,” coach Stephen Larkham said about Pocock.
“He’ll certainly be available for selection at this stage. But every day he’s got to tick a box, so he could fall back a day and he could miss the game.”
Toomua pulled up sore after his stint off the bench against the Crusaders but Larkham was just as confident that he will play.
“He was limping around today so he’s in a bit of pain … Coming back from a syndesmosis … everything is cleared medically, it’s just whether he feels good tomorrow, which I suspect he will.”
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Crack Down on Rolling Mauls
World Rugby have announced a crack down on rolling mauls in the lead up to the Super Rugby finals.
This could be problematic for the Brumbies who have scored six out of their last eight tries from rolling mauls.
The crack down will include implementing the laws that are already in place.
“It was felt that law changes were not necessary in these areas but that referees needed to apply the current law more effectively in some cases,” Laws Representation Group (LRG) chairman John Jeffrey said.
Waratahs back-up halfback Brendan McKibbin said players would adapt.
“There are always little common themes that pop up … and the rolling maul and feeding straight they like to run with. They will probably crack down it, but you get one free kick for not feeding it straight, you’re not going to do it again,” McKibbin said.
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Stormers Lose Vermeulen
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has decided to rest captain Duane Vermeulen once again due to a neck injury.
Vermeulen sat out the match against the Lions on June 6 with neck spasms and was then rested last week against the Sharks and will now not be risked against the Brumbies.
“Duane is such an imposing player and character and has such a presence in any team he plays for, it would have been great to have him in this match. But Nemo brings something different to the team, I have a helluva lot of trust in the rest of the pack,” said Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.
“Duane is a natural sort of poacher of the ball as well. While we will be missing that element, Siya Kolisi has (also) stepped up and turned over a number of balls for us this season. The big thing won’t be in poaching, but in the tackle fight – making positive tackles.”
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De Villiers to Return
Springbok captain Jean De Villiers is expected to return to the field next month after returning from injury.
De Villers suffered a horror injury in December last year which cause him to miss the entire Super Rugby season, however, he has given his strongest indication yet that he will be fit for the World Cup.
“My rehabilitation is going well. Everything is on track. I hope to be on the field in the next month,” said De Villiers via the South African Rugby Twitter page.
“We can’t allow the minority to affect the majority in SA. I surround myself with positive people.”
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