Malcolm Marx’s leg injury is not as severe as it was feared and there are renewed hopes the Springboks will have the hooker back for the Rugby Championship.
Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday delivered a sobering update following the second Test against Ireland, naming Marx on a lengthy Bok injury list that also includes Franco Mostert and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
The Bok coach said that Marx had suffered “a little bit of a tibia fracture” and expected him to be out for up to six weeks, but it is understood that a fractured tibia typically takes upwards of three months to heal.
However, according to Rapport writer Hendrik Cronje, Marx has not been in any clear discomfort and it is hoped that he will be fully recovered in three weeks.
Just on Malcolm Marx. I walk passed him in the hotel yesterday. He did not look in any noticeable discomfort. He is struggling with a fracture in his tibial plateau. He will be back in two or three weeks time. Good news before the Rugby Championship.
— Hendrik Cronjé (@hendrikcronje71) July 17, 2024
With the Springboks set to get their Rugby Championship campaign underway in Brisbane on 10 August, Marx could be back in time to board the flight for the Australian tour.
Marx suffered the injury in the second half of the Test against Ireland, during a horrific croc roll that earned captain Caelan Doris a yellow card. The Bok hooker limped his way through the rest of the half, having replaced Bongi Mbonambi in the 46th minute.
It comes as Marx only recently returned from a long-term knee ligament injury that he suffered in a freak training accident during the 2023 World Cup, that kept him out for a full season.
Following the Test in Brisbane, the Springboks will take on the Wallabies again in Perth on 17 August. This leaves any injured players with just three weeks to prove their fitness and embark on the tour of Australia.
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
