Tigerish Isuzu Southern Kings loose forward Andisa Ntsila has been laid low by a knee injury ahead of his team’s Guinness PRO14 clash against champions Leinster at the Madibaz Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
This is a serious blow for the Kings, who have been hit by a spate of injuries in recent weeks as they struggle to make headway in the European league.
Ntsila did not return to the field after sustaining his injury during the first half against the Scarlets last week.
Earlier in the season, the Kings lost skipper Michael Willemse and livewire lock Bobby de Wee to shoulder injuries in a campaign that has seen them win only one of seven matches.
Tighthead prop Luvuyo Pupuma is also unavailable for selection this week after sustaining a shoulder injury.
Front-rower Pupuma, 26, is being monitored by the Kings medical team and is seeing a specialist this week.
“We have two new injuries: Andisa Ntsila, who hurt his knee, and Luvuyo Pupuma, [with] a shoulder injury,” team doctor Gershwin Kortje said.
“[They] will unfortunately not be available for selection for this weekend’s match against Leinster.
“They are undergoing scans this week to establish the full prognosis of their injuries.”
The full Kings injury list: Martin Dreyer (knee), De Wee (shoulder), Bakkies Brown (ankle), Willemse (shoulder), Xandré Vos (neck), Sarel Pretorius (foot), Pieter Scholtz (shoulder), Oliver Zono (knee) and Sibusiso Sithole (shoulder).
Kortje said all the injured players were continuing with their rehabilitation.
He was pleased with the progress they were making.
The Kings have been boosted by the arrival of Pumas scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer and Griquas prop Nicolaas “NJ” Oosthuizen.
Ungerer rejoins the team, having previously been a key figure in the Kings side that played Super Rugby in 2017.
“I’m happy to be back at the Kings. I’m looking forward to again make a contribution to the side, now in a different competition,” Ungerer said.
The Kings are expected to name their team to face Leinster on Friday.