Kings duo fit and ready for PRO14 derby

Cape Town - The Southern Kings team doctor, Gershwin Kortje, delivered some good news for the Port Elizabeth side on Monday as he passed fullback Masixole Banda and centre Tertius Kruger fit for selection ahead of the PRO14 derby against Cheetahs this week.

The side returned from their trip to Scotland where they faced Edinburgh in the first week of January with the duo having sustained injuries.

Last week Banda (leg) and Kruger (hand) underwent scans to ascertain the extent of the injuries, and Kortje has had some positive feedback.

"Following assessments and scans last week, I am pleased to confirm that Masixole Banda and Tertius Kruger are fit to play as they have recovered from the knocks they sustained against Edinburgh," the team doctor said.

The Southern Kings were given other injury scares when loose-forwards Martinus "Tienie" Burger (groin) and Ruaan Lerm (leg) sustained knocks during training.

"Ruaan Lerm has recovered and is available for selection this week," Kortje confirmed.

"We are still keeping a close eye on Tienie Burger with his groin injury. We can expect to make a call on his availability later in the week."

With the Southern Kings having had a plethora of injuries in the early stages of the season, the team has also been boosted by the return of utility back, Sibusiso Sithole, from a long-term knee injury; with a number of other players previously on the injury list making their way back to fitness.

"Sibusiso Sithole is back at full training and has made a full recovery from his knee injury. He has been training with the team and is fit for selection," said Dr Kortje.

"We also have Andisa Ntsila, Rossouw de Klerk and Oliver Zono who have completed their rehab and are now busy with their conditioning work."

Kick-off on Saturday is at 14:00.

The current Southern Kings injury list is as follows:

Martin Dreyer (knee, out for the season)

Bobby de Wee (shoulder, out for the season)

Henry "Bakkies" Brown (ankle)

Xandre Vos (neck)