Cheetahs' Bok a pain in the neck

The neck problem of Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen is one of four injury concerns for the battered and bruised Cheetahs.

Following their 14-35 humiliation at the hands of the Rebels in Melbourne at the weekend, the last this the Cheetahs needed was a number of injury setbacks.

Springbok flyer Raymond Rhule injured his ankle ligaments against the Rebels and according to Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie his chances to play in the Round Four encounter with the Reds in Brisbane on Friday "are very slim".

Star loose forward Pieter Labuschagne, prop Coenie Oosthuizen and flyhalf Johan Goosen were also unable to train at the team's base on the Gold Coast on Monday.

The Bok prop, who has had a number of neck injuries in recent years, will go for an MRI scan on Tuesday, after which the Cheetahs management will make a call on his availability.

His loss will obviously leave a huge hole to fill.

Labuschagne is struggling with a heel injury sustained in the loss to the Rebels.

"He should be fine [to play against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday]," Fourie told this website.

The other major concerns would be at flyhalf where Goosen experienced discomfort in his left knee at training on Monday.

"It doesn't appear to be too serious," Fourie said of a troublesome knee that required surgery after he injured it while on Springbok duty in 2012.

"While he could not train today [Monday], he did train yesterday [Sunday]," the backline mentor told this website.

"He should be fine [to face the Reds]," he added.

Apart from having torn his medial ligaments when he was playing for the Springboks in 2012, which required surgery, Goosen also damaged his knee in a freak training ground accident while on tour in Australasia last year.

By Jan de Koning