Johan Ackermann has pencilled in a potential return window for injured loose forward Cameron Hanekom.
But the Vodacom Bulls boss insists the talented Bok bruiser won’t be rushed back.
Ackermann had previously been reluctant to put a date on Hanekom’s comeback after a frustrating, stop-start rehabilitation.
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“I was nervous to put a timeline to it, but I think we will probably work towards Cardiff [20 March] or Munster [28 March] to see Cameron, somewhere around that period,” Ackermann explained.
“That’s the earliest I think. His rehab has obviously been up and down. The last couple of weeks have really gone well. Now it’s just to build up his endurance, build up his contact and the rugby side of things. That’s the part we don’t want to rush now, so close to the finish line.
“Next week is not ideal, it’s a rugby week that we lose with the guys going to the [Springbok] alignment camp, and they are not in our hands. The week after that is probably the week that we must progress the build-up to a rugby contact.
“That’s why I say if we want to be realistic, probably around Cardiff.”
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Hanekom is set to attend the Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town next week, despite not featuring for the Bulls this season, underlining how highly he is rated in national structures.
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