Wednesday Round-Up

Pienaar drops out: Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer will have to complete tis string of November International clashes without the services of one Ruan Pienaar, after it was confirmed earlier today that the scrum half will require another few weeks of rehabilitation on a troublesome knee injury. Having picked up the injury at the back end of this year’s Rugby Championship in September, Pienaar has been sidelined ever since, on both the international and domestic front with Irish outfit Ulster. After undergoing a further assessment of his recovery to date on Tueaday, Meyer confirmed to the press that Pienaar has developed swelling around the knee and is yet to partake in a full training session. Taking over from Pienaar in Meyer’s Bok squad is the experienced Toulouse man Jano Vermaak. According to Meyer, Vermaak was chosen on the basis of his knowledge of the Springbok system and to aid the development of other scrum half in the squad, the more inexperienced Cobus Reinach, who is in just his first season of test match rugby.

Attwood available: England head coach Stuart Lancaster can breathe a heavy sigh of relief this morning, after it was confirmed that Dave Attwood will be available for this weekend’s clash with the All Blacks, having tended to the birth of his first child. Already without a trio of locks in Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling and Ed Slater, Lancaster was facing a crisis should Attwood miss out. However, he and his fiancé were true to their promise to forwards coach Graham Rowntree that the Bath second row would return in time to face the World Champions. Having come on as a replacement in the last two clashes with the All Blacks, Attwood is now in line to start, with George Kruis likely to make the replacements bench.

Light work for BaaBaas: Invitational outfit the Barbarians made light work of a Leicester Tigers outfit last night, as they put in a highly impressive performance to come away with a 59-26 win at Welford Road. Infront of a packed out crowd, the supporters were treated to no less than thirteen tries over the 80 minutes, with nine of them coming from the men in black and white hoops. Despite only leading 21-19 at the interval, six more tries in the second half sealed the game for the famous outfit, in what was a mightily impressive performance.

Ryan Sheady