Hamstring injury blows Mark Gerrard out of next Super Rugby clash against the Blues
A hamstring injury has ruled Melbourne Rebels’ flanker, Mark Gerrard, out of their upcoming Super Rugby match against the Blues in Auckland tonight, 22nd April, 2011. The star player suffering a late injury is a severe blow for his team. He disclosed
that he was not feeling well because of some soreness in his hamstring earlier today.
Gerrard has been replaced by Afusipa Taumoepeau who will start on the bench and Richard Kingi has been pushed in to the back rows as full-back. Gerrard is one of the key players of Rod McQueen’s side which made its first appearance in Super Rugby championship
this year.
Melbourne Rebels have performed well in the ongoing season but their coach, McQueen, is not satisfied with the results they have produced so far. The derby is currently placed at 9th position on the point’s table. The Rebels have produced three
victories from eight games and have become the third best team of Australia after nine rounds of the championship.
The Rebels will face the Blues, which seems to be a much better side, in Auckland tonight. The All Blacks derby has been rated in the top five outfits of the tournament with six victories. The Blues have lost just one match in the current season against
the Sharks during the second round. They grabbed four consecutive wins after defeating the Waratahs last weekend.
Mark Gerrard’s injury at the eleventh hour is very disappointing for the Rebels who were claiming to bounce back in the championship. Coach Rod McQueen said that Gerrard was playing well in the last few matches and his untimely withdrawal would certainly
have a significant impact on the team’s performance. However the coach was confident that Gerrard will be available for the team’s next outgoing.
The Rebels will now go in to the field with the following players in the mentioned positions:
15 Richard Kingi, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Stirling Mortlock the captain, 12 Julian Huxley, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Jarrod Saffy, 5 Hugh Pyle, 4 Alister Campbell, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Ged Robinson,
1 Rodney Blake.
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