FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v New Zealand - Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 31, 2024 General view of a maul during the match REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and speedy winger Kurt-Lee Arendse look likely to miss the weekend’s Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand in Cape Town after head blows suffered in Saturday’s 31-27 victory over the All Blacks in Johannesburg.
Arendse was knocked out early in the second half trying to tackle Kiwi centre Rieko Ioane, and unsteady on his feet as he attempted to stand up was taken for a Head-Impact Assessment (HIA).
Concussion protocols dictate he should sit out the second meeting between the rugby giants at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Kolisi was also sent for a HIA after being tackled by All Blacks flanker Sam Cane but passed the assessment.
After a bruising match, however, the right side of his face was visibly swollen and coach Rassie Erasmus said the skipper would be checked for a possible fractured cheekbone.
"It looks like a fracture to me," Erasmus said.
"The doc will definitely have to look at him, he doesn’t normally look like this. He looks a bit better," Erasmus quipped during the post-match press conference after the narrow win at Ellis Park, as Kolisi sat beside him in obvious pain.
The Springbok camp are expected to provide clarity on the injury situation later.
South Africa extended their lead in the Rugby Championship standings to 14 points at the halfway stage of this year’s competition after three successive wins.
Australia, Argentina and New Zealand have all lost two of their three matches but the All Blacks have gathered more bonus points than the other two and sit on six points with five for Argentina and four for Australia.
The Wallabies edged Argentina 20-19 away in La Plata late on Saturday in the annual southern hemisphere championship. They meet again in Santa Fe on Saturday.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
