The mine broken down into the stands of Pierre Mignoni, the director of Toulon rugby, says a lot. The RCT may have lost Cheslin Kolbe for quite a while. The 2019 world champion winger with South Africa came out in tears, on a cart, from the lawn of Gerland, this Saturday afternoon.
The former Toulousain was injured, a priori seriously, by scoring a try in the 35th minute during the match of the 21st day of Top 14, won by his team (23-27) in Lyon. The right ankle twisted when Kolbe wanted to get up after rolling in the LOU in-goal. Unable to stand on his own, he received help from the medical staff, then from an appropriate vehicle to leave the field, and to be replaced by Jérémy Sinzelle.
Big blow for the RCT… and for the Springboks?
Toulon loses a major asset in the race for the final stages of the championship, and before the round of 16 of the European Challenge against the South Africans of the Cheetahs, next Saturday.
It is also potentially very bad news for the Springboks, less than six months from the start of the World Cup in France (September 8 – October 28).
