Du Preez worry for Boks

Springbok scrum-half Fourie du Preez is waiting to find out whether he fractured his hand in a Super 14 warm-up fixture at the weekend. [more]

Du Preez worry for Boks

Springbok scrum-half Fourie du Preez is waiting to find out whether he fractured his hand in a Super 14 warm-up fixture at the weekend.

The World Cup-winning No9 suffered an injury to his right hand during the Bulls’ 20-14 defeat to the Cheetahs in Polokwane on Friday night.

Worryingly for South African head coach Peter de Villiers, it is the same hand du Preez broke during last year’s Super 14 clash with the same opposition.

Du Preez was in stunning form during the Boks’ 2007 World Cup triumph and the 26-year-old is expected to play a key role in their summer series against the Lions in June and July of this year.

A fractured hand would seriously eat into du Preez’s preparation time for the Lions tour but, according to his club doctor, the injury is not anticipated to be too serious.

"We will know everything on Fourie today depending on his condition,” said Dr Org Strauss.

”It doesn’t look like a fracture and I don’t think it is.

"There is some inflammation on the thumb where he broke his hand last year, but it is hopefully not too serious."

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