De Jager on course for rapid recovery to boost Sale title bid and face the Lions
Lood de Jager, the World Cup winning Springbok lock, has given Sale Sharks a massive boost at a critical time of the Gallagher Premiership season, confirming he will be fit for the play-off final if the club can defy the odds and defeat Exeter at Sandy Park.
That semi-final task has been made even more daunting following the 20-19 defeat to the reigning champions in the final regular season fixture that saw outside half AJ MacGinty, hooker Akker van der Merwe and flanker Cameron Neild suffering potentially serious injuries yesterday.
De Jager sustained a broken leg and knee damage at the start of April in a training accident and currently has a metal plate in his leg to join similar reconstruction materials in both his shoulders and having endured long rehabilitation comebacks after three shoulder operations, the 6ft 9ins lock is on course to defy medical opinion by turning a 16 week recovery period into just 12.
That would mean being fit for the start of the week of the Premiership final on June 26 and the Springboks’ three Test series with the British and Irish Lions.
De Jager’s incredible commitment to try to help Sale’s title bid and the Springboks defeat the Lions saw him start his rehabilitation work the day after the surgery to repair knee ligament damage and insert that metal plate in the fibula just above the ankle of his left leg. His remarkable recovery has required significant personal sacrifices by de Jager and his wife, who returned to South Africa with their two children – two and nine months – to allow “Dad” to concentrate solely on rehabilitation. De Jager hoped to bring his family back after regaining mobility but it would mean his wife and children enduring quarantine in a hotel.
De Jager, 28, who is living with fellow Sale lock Cobus Wiese, told RugbyPass: “My wife (Constance) and I had a discussion when I was injured and I said ‘listen, for the next couple of weeks I won’t be able to do much and help with the kids and I really need to put all my effort into the rehab if I am going to be ready for the final and the Lions series.’ She is very supportive and understands the whole thing and they have been back in South Africa and then were in the Maldives quarantining before coming back and then that country went onto the Red List.
“I really miss my wife and the kids and they grow so quickly and on Facetime you see that and my son is putting sentences together in English. My wife has been unbelievable travelling alone with two young kids and she gave up her own career as a clinical psychologist to support me.
“I cannot expect her to sit in a hotel room with two kids quarantining for 11 days and so they went back to South Africa from the Maldives and I haven’t seen them for two-and-a-half months. They are in Cape Town where a lot of my family are based and so I won’t see them until I go back for the Lions series and what is great is that SA Rugby have really organised things well and the players’ families will be with us the whole time for the Lions series.”
Despite being a key figure in the Springbok pack that won the World Cup, de Jager was so nervous on the day that the squad to take on the Lions was named he went shopping to take his mind off the official announcement in South Africa.
“I cannot watch the announcement live except the first time I was named in 2004 and since then I can’t and so I went to Tesco to do some shopping this time,” he explained.
“I checked my phone for messages from my family and found out that I was in the squad.
BREAKING: Bok squad for the Lions named ?#LionsRugby #Springboks https://t.co/8udPJSvRwI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 5, 2021
“I told the Springbok management that I would do everything I could to be ready and they said they wanted me around but I had to be ready to play. The big thing is to get two or three games before the Lions because you want to perform, not just be part of the series, to make sure I am match fit. It is always amazing to be selected by the Springboks, it is the biggest honour and I never take it for granted and still get nervous every time a squad is named.
“My previous injuries and the rehab I did has helped me massively this time but the difference is that we are in a race against the clock and everything is being condensed. I have worked harder than I’ve ever done to accelerate the process with the initial prognosis 16 weeks and we are pushing it for 12. The most crucial thing is that normally they tell you to rest the leg for two weeks after surgery and I started the day after trying to keep the muscle mass in my leg because you can lose a lot.
“That is where our head of physiotherapy did an amazing job by maintaining muscle mass without compromising my injury and that was really important. We have exceptional S&C and medical staff at the club but at the end of the day if you don’t put in the work you won’t get the results. Those guys are with you all the time but they cannot do the rehab work. I do as much as I can every day and see how the leg reacts and luckily we have not had any setbacks and so we are still pushing for the Premiership final and I want to be part of that match.
“I have enjoyed working with Alex (Sanderson), he is an unbelievable coach and one of a kind – one of the best I have ever worked with. I don’t want to disappoint the guy and we have a real brotherhood here with everyone caring for each other and that goes a long way
“It is nice to have so many Saffas around and you miss home when you don’t see your family and friends for quite a while. For the wives it’s massive to have support and if your family is not happy then it can affect the way you play and they all connect with each other and are friends. There is a really big support system.”
De Jager is one of three Springbok locks who helped win the World Cup who have been injured leading into the Lions series with Eben Etzebeth suffering a hand injury and RG Snyman first rupturing his knee and then last week suffering burns from a firepit accident. De Jager has been in contact with Snyman and added: “I really feel sorry for RG and devastated for him because I know how hard he has worked to get back. I get emotional about it and hopefully we are all going to be back together.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I certainly don’t enjoy drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to comments