Bok, Bulls and Ulster fears over Coetzee injury

Ulster, the Bulls and Springboks will be sweating over the extent of Marcell Coetzee’s injury for the next 48 hours. Coetzee, with a history of knee injuries, failed to return to the field after half-time in Ulster’s 19-13 Pro14 victory over the Warriors at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Friday.

Tries from Michael Lowry, Craig Gilroy and Nick Timoney saw Ulster bounce back from their first defeat of the season, which came against the Conference A leaders Leinster on January 8.

However, the victory came at a price for the Irish province, who lost Coetzee to injury just before half-time in a worrying development for the title-chasing side.

Coetzee picked up a knock in the final action before the interval and was replaced at half-time by Greg Jones.

With just five weeks to go in the season, the hope will be it is not the Springbok’s last game for McFarland’s side.

The South African will leave Ulster at the end of the current season to return to Pretoria-based side the Bulls.

“We won’t know how serious that is until we get a good look at it,” Ulster coach Dan McFarland said in his post-match reaction. “It looked like two teams coming off the back of five weeks out,” reflected McFarland.

“There wasn’t any lack of intensity in terms of the physical sense.

“I just think there was a little lack of cohesion in the way that the teams played, probably a bit on the discipline side but also in the way that we attacked in that first half.

“It sort of tidied up in the second and half and there was some great play.

“The bottom line is we’ve just got to keep winning.

“Would we have liked a bonus-point? Of course, we would have done, but we’re playing Glasgow away so I’ll take the win.”

Ulster now has a seven-day turnaround before hosting Ospreys in Belfast next Friday.

- Rugby 365