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Lood de Jager set for competitive return after missing World Cup
By Josh Raisey
South Africa second-row Lood de Jager is set to play his first competitive match in almost half a year when he starts for the Saitama Wild Knights on Saturday in Japan Rugby League One.
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The 2019 World Cup winner missed out on selection for the 2023 showcase due to a heart condition, pericarditis, which is a swelling of the tissue that surrounds the heart. But after coming through a training match against Toyota Verblitz last week, the 31-year-old is set to start in the second-row this week against the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.
It was July 15 when the 59-cap Springbok last played a match, against the All Blacks in Auckland, where he was replaced early in the second half by RG Snyman in a 35-20 loss.
De Jager will be lining up alongside his Springboks teammate Damian de Allende, who was ever-present in South Africa’s World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023. He will be teaming up with a side who have made an unbeaten start to the season, winning four from four, which includes a comeback win over a Toyota Verblitz side last week boasting Pieter-Steph du Toit, Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith.
The Dynaboars will arrive at the match on Saturday looking to arrest a two match losing run having won their opening two matches of the season.
The world champions have a two-match series against Ireland in July before the Rugby Championship, which gives de Jager five months to regain form and fitness to work his way back into Rassie Erasmus’ squad again.
With compatriots RG Snyman still out with a shoulder/chest injury sustained in the World Cup final, and Jean Kleyn set to miss the rest of the season with an eye problem, the door may be open to de Jager running out for the Boks again against Ireland.
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