eBusiness Weekly
The Springboks are sweating over the fitness of winger Makazole Mapimpi after he was forced off the pitch in the World Cup Pool B match against Tonga.
The 2019 World Cup winner was on the wrong end of a high tackle from scrum-half Augustine Pulu late in the first half.
He left the pitch to undergo a head injury assessment (HIA), but did not return to action, with Jesse Kriel playing the remainder of the 49-18 victory.
Makazole Mapimpi in doubt
Mapimpi’s face was visibly swollen when he left the field as referee Luke Pearce and the TMO reviewed the tackle from Pulu and ruled that there was enough mitigation to warrant a penalty and nothing else.
Speaking after South Africa’s final pool game, head coach Jacques Nienaber confirmed that Mapimpi had suffered a facial fracture, an injury that could see him being replaced in the 33-man squad.
“He unfortunately had a blow-out fracture of his cheekbone, so he’ll probably go for specialist scans tomorrow morning to determine the severity of it,” Nienaber said.
While France captain Antoine Dupont has made a quick turnaround and looks set to be fit for the home side’s World Cup quarter-final, the severity of Mapimpi’s injury could see him miss the rest of the tournament.
Potential replacements
If that is the case, it is likely that the Boks could recall centre Lukhanyo Am to the squad.
Am missed the initial Springboks 33-man squad for the tournament with a knee injury he sustained against Argentina. It is unclear whether he is fully fit for a potential return, but he would likely be amongst the favourites for a recall if he is.
There is a chance the Bok coaches could turn to hooker Joseph Dweba, who was not called upon when Malcolm Marx went down in training ahead of the second pool stage match against Romania.
Handre Pollard filled Marx’s spot in the squad, and the Boks could now use Mapimpi’s injury to add more depth at the hooker despite the performances of Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden. — planetrugby.com
