PRETORIA (Reuters) - The Bulls will be without Springbok centre Jesse Kriel for the next six to eight weeks as he prepares for surgery on his injured ankle this week.
Kriel limped out of the Pretoria-based side’s 24-23 defeat to the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday, and it has been confirmed he will now go under the knife.
"Jesse Kriel has torn a ligament in his ankle and will undergo surgery later this week. He is expected to be out for a period of six to eight weeks," Bulls team doctor Herman Rossouw told the team website thebulls.co.za on Tuesday.
Wings Divan Rossouw and Jade Stighling will also miss Saturday’s home fixture against the New South Wales Waratahs after they left the field with concussion at the weekend and have not been passed fit to play.
Better news for coach Pote Human is that centre Burger Odendaal will be eligible after being cleared by a specialist after sustaining an eye injury against the Stormers.
The Bulls are second in the South Africa Conference, two points behind the Sharks but with a game in hand.
(Reporting By Nick Said; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)