Vodacom Bulls lock Sintu Manjezi is set to miss the team’s games in the Preparation Series and Rainbow Cup due to a knee injury. DYLAN JACK reports.
Manjezi suffered the injury during the first half of the Currie Cup final between the Bulls and Sharks in Pretoria last month.
During an interview with SA Rugby magazine, the 25-year-old said that he is set to undergo an operation on Friday which could keep him out for the next six to eight months, depending on the rehabilitation process.
‘I am a bit chilled about it, but also slightly frustrated because obviously I am going to be out for a while now,’ Manjezi said. ‘I have cartilage damage and I did my ACL a bit. I got injured in the final.
‘It’s probably going to keep me out for six to eight months. It is quite a bit of a shock as well because I injured myself in the 23rd minute and then we went in because of the thunderstorms and they strapped it up. I continued to play and wasn’t really thinking about it.
‘When I came off, I was limping a bit and was thinking that it was probably a bit of bone bruising because you can sometimes get that when you jump and land in the lineouts. I was shocked that it was quite a lot worse than that.’
The Bulls are set to begin their Preparation Series fixtures against the Peter de Villiers-coached EP Elephants on 27 February and will also play the Pumas, Stormers and Sharks.
The Rainbow Cup is set to kick off on 17 April and conclude with a final on 19 June, with the fixtures still to be announced.
Manjezi joined the Bulls from the Cheetahs last year and started in both the Currie Cup semi-final against the Lions and the final, where he played 60 minutes before he was substituted.
The Bulls count Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp and Jan Uys as the other senior locks in their squad. However, Steenkamp is also likely to miss the Preparation Series after undergoing a heart operation in January.
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