OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 8.30pm.
SPRINGBOK skipper Joost van der Westhuizen has been cleared to make his comeback to top-flight rugby after undergoing surgery to repair damage to his injured right knee in November last year.
South Africa’s top try-scorer, rated by many as the world’s best scrumhalf, injured the knee during the World Cup semi-final against Australia and played with the injured ligaments in the third-place playoff against New Zealand.
Van der Westhuizen underwent an examination on Wednesday at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and was given the go-ahead to take the field for his Super 12 regional side, the Northern Bulls, in their match against the Otago Highlanders in Witbank on Saturday.
The examination was supervised by South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) Medical Consultant Dr Ismail Jakoet and Springbok Physiotherapist Wayne Diesel.
Jakoet said that that Van der Westhuizen would be given a run on Saturday after Springbok team doctor Frans Verster and Van der Westhuizen’s specialist agreed that his fitness is up to par.
Jakoet added that the injury had healed well, and that Van der Westhuizen worked hard on his rehabilitation programme. Van der Westhuizen will, according to Jakoet, be given about 20 minutes game-time.
He will be re-assessed post-match, and if the knee holds up Van der Westhuizen will be cleared to play in the Bulls’ final match against the Hurricanes next week.
Van der Westhuizen was elated at the news and said that he is eager to get back in the thick of things.
The Springbok skipper’s return may be too little too late, however, as his side has not won a Super 12 match this season and are languishing at the bottom of the Super 12 log.
His biggest challenge, however, will be to get back to Test fitness and win back his berth as skipper and first-choice scrumhalf for the upcoming Tests against Canada, England and the Tri-Nations series against New Zealand and Australia.