More recovery woes for Juan

27 Jan 2012

Juan Smith had to undergo follow-up surgery on his troubling Achilles on Wednesday, which will only see him return to training in two to three weeks time.

This was the 30-year-old’s fourth operation since picking up the injury during last year’s Super Rugby tournament. The Springbok flanker, who was then forced to miss the World Cup, is now back on crutches and will now miss the Cheetahs’ away leg of the upcoming Super Rugby campaign as he’s back on crutches. The Bloemfontein franchise will face the Brumbies (10 March), Rebels (18 March), Crusaders (24 March) and Hurricanes (31 March) on the road Down Under.

The recent operation came after Smith visited a specialist in Pretoria. He still felt pain during a jog and after a scan was taken, it was decided that surgery was needed to improve the recovery process.

‘Juan recovered well from the main operation that he had on both tendons last year and looked pretty good even before the World Cup,’ Cheetahs managing director Harold Verster told keo.co.za. ‘But there were complications that came up. While the right leg recovered 100%, there were problems with Juan’s left heel. Surgery had to be performed recently to help with his full recovery. It’s not serious, though, and he’ll be back on his feet in about three weeks time.’

Verster added that the Cheetahs boast depth in the loose forward department and will cope during Smith’s absence. Philip van der Walt and Davon Raubenheimer are set to compete for the No 7 jersey.

By Gareth Duncan



9 Comments

  • 1.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 09:04 am

    Poor Dragon! Shame man poor Juan. If he gets to play this year he should make this his swansong.

  • 2.stew: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 09:09 am

    Achilles is a terrible injury – i think this is it for Juan – unfortunate awesome player imo best blindside in world rugby

  • 3.Kietzphat: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 09:20 am

    If anyone can recover from an Achilles injury, it’s this dragon.

  • 4.Brigadier Van Zyl: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 09:45 am

    juan will in all likelyhood call it quits from international rugby soon.

  • 5.stand-off: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 10:56 am

    Take your time. The Boks need you!

  • 6.Frik: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 11:16 am

    Juan needs to go to Japan/France and earn a pension. This injury is going to cut his playing years dramatically.

  • 7.Guns: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 11:32 am

    “Juan recovered well from the main operation that he had on both tendons last year and looked pretty good even before the World Cup,’ Cheetahs managing director Harold Verster told keo.co.za. ‘But there were complications that came up. While the right leg recovered 100%, there were problems with Juan’s left heel. Surgery had to be performed recently to help with his full recovery. It’s not serious, though, and he’ll be back on his feet in about three weeks time.”

    Well that sounds positive. Good Luck Juan.

  • 8.Hondo: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 11:43 am

    He never really played much anyway since end of 2009, he did play several Tests in 2010 if I recalled correctly but was substituted often
    Juan Smith is a great loss since it’s difficult to find a loose forward with similar physical attributes, never mind the skills, the toughness and the work rate.

  • 9.Cheetah Champs: Reply to this comment
    27 Jan 2012, 14:02 pm

    Would love to know what Free State pay him? Whatever it is, it is too much.

    He is an absolute legend, but played no more than 5 games last year (not sure what the actual number is). We could probably go buy two locks (which we desperately need) for his price.

    I LOVE Juan, but if you are Harold Verster you need perspective.

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