Coach Johan Ackermann is waiting to hear if one of the Vodacom Bulls’ big acquisitions will be available for their URC opener on Saturday.

Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, who joined from Montpellier ahead of the new season, is nursing a knee injury that has disrupted his pre-season preparations.

According to Rapport, the 31-year-old lock/flank will only be considered for selection against the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld if his knee shows no swelling after next week’s training sessions.

Janse van Rensburg impressed in conditioning tests before the setback, outperforming most of his new teammates, and his absence has been a major frustration for both player and coach.

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Ackermann also confirmed this week that the Bulls are dealing with a lengthy injury list heading into the opening round, with Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johan Goosen, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Vermaak, Akker van der Merwe and Reinhardt Ludwig all sidelined.

In addition, several Springboks remain unavailable due to Rugby Championship duty, including Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortjé and Wilco Louw.

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Willie le Roux was expected to link up with the Bulls squad in Pretoria this week, having been dropped from the Springbok squad, but the Boks requested that the veteran fullback remain in Durban to provide training cover ahead of their clash with Argentina at Kings Park.

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