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The Springboks have been hit with a bunch of injuries and losing Malcolm Marx to a broken leg might just be the biggest blow yet.
A big moment from Saturday’s Springbok Test against Ireland was the dangerous tackle on Malcolm Marx, which got Ireland’s captain, Caelan Doris, a time-out in the sin bin.
Hooker Marx was injured in the second Test against Ireland after being croc-rolled during a clear-out from number eight Doris and second-row James Ryan. Doris was yellow-carded for the incident that injured Marx, but many believed that since Ryan was more prominent in the role, he should have been the punished party, per Planet Rugby.
Even though Marx battled on for the last 33 minutes of the Durban clash, it was later revealed by Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus that the hooker sustained a “tibia fracture” (shin bone). This makes it a quadruple injury blow to the Boks ahead of the Rugby Championship.
What makes this injury worse is that while Doris dropped his weight onto Marx’s leg, Irish lock Ryan added to the trouble by cleaning out the Springbok star at the same moment.
The moment was captured on film:
Tends to happen if you batista bomb on someone’s outstretched leg. https://t.co/6lNxOLWCBP pic.twitter.com/z8btSc3SgG
— Angus (@AnalystGus) July 16, 2024
This latest setback comes just a couple of weeks after Marx’s return from a long-term knee ligament injury (to the same leg) that he suffered in a freak training accident during the 2023 World Cup, that kept him out for a full season.
Fans are not happy:
So Malcolm Marx has a fractured leg. Desperately unlucky for him after just returning from a knee injury. That croc roll ought to be cited, a horrific clean.
— A-P (@rugby_ap) July 16, 2024
Malcolm Marx with a broken leg. I really hope @WorldRugby takes not of that and the croc roll performed on him by two Irish players. It’s shocking that there’s been no citing and the way the referees handled the targeting of his lower limbs in the second test #SAvIRE #Springboks
— Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) July 16, 2024
The fact that Malcolm Marx’s leg is broken makes my blood boil, should’ve been two yellows, with one being upgraded to red, ref failed to promote player safety.
— The Gnome (@GTheGnome) July 16, 2024
There hasn’t been a timeframe given on Marx’s return but it’s likely to be a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which would see him miss the Rugby Championship.
Shame, Erasmus had to add him to the already lengthy injury list when speaking to the media on Tuesday, with second-row Franco Mostert also ruled out for six weeks because of a broken leg.
There’s also blindside flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit is set to miss the Boks‘ first game of the Rugby Championship, against the Wallabies, after being ruled out for four to six weeks. Elsewhere, there was further bad news for Edwill van der Merwe, who picked up an injury while on Currie Cup duty with the Lions. The in-form wing is out for six weeks.
South Africa will prepare to face Australia in Brisbane on August 10 and then again in Perth on August 17 in the 2024 Rugby Championship. Back-to-back home Tests with the All Blacks then follow in Johannesburg and Cape Town before they face off against Argentina on September 21 and September 28.
We wish all injured parties a speedy recovery!
[source:planetrugby]
