The Cheetahs’ loose forward Jeandré Rudolph will return from a shoulder injury and he is one of a handful of senior players returning from injury.

The senior player sustained the injury during the Currie Cup semi-final against the Lions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last month.

He missed the entire Toyota Challenge but will be fit and ready for the return to Europe in December.

Jeandré Rudolph after sustaining his shoulder injury against the Lions. Photo: Morgan Piek

Rudolph has been somewhat active in the past few weeks and even played in the annual Springfontein Sixes cricket tournament.

Rudolph told OFM Sport that the injury was somewhat of a blessing in disguise, but he is ready and excited to get back into action with the Cheetahs. “Yeah, the AC injury is going well, and I played a bit of cricket, like you said, this weekend in Springfontein, as we tried to defend our title,” said Rudolph.

“I was mostly a wicketkeeper, so I didn’t really do much but just caught the balls when the other guys missed it. But, it was still great fun and the other shoulder held up well.

“I’m stoked to get back to training next week Tuesday. I think the break, like you said, came at a good time – not just physically, but also mentally. It had been a long year of rugby for us. We’re excited to hit the ground running in preparation for the EPCR.

Jeandré Rudolph playing in the Springfontein Sixes. Photo: Stephen De Swardt/Springfontein Sixes

“It’s a big one for us and we’ve got four really hard games coming up. So, I think everyone is excited we know exactly what we’re going to be up against. We’re going to hit the ground running.”

As a new father, Rudolph, added that the injury and break gave him some valuable time with his young family, while also hitting the reset button heading into the new season.

‘I’m stoked to be back in Bloem, to hit the ground running next week’

“Being off a bit allowed me to spend some time with my family. You know, we have a little boy and he has been doing great. We went to the bush and the Kruger National Park for a couple of nights just to really reset and enjoy the outdoors.

“So, yeah, obviously I’m stoked to be back in Bloem and stoked to hit the ground running next week Tuesday.”

More senior players such as Chucky van der Westhuizen and Ali Mgijima are also expected to return from injury.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg