Springboks to test Ruan Pienaar’s fitness this week but he is a big doubt for Ireland clash

South Africa’s Ruan Pienaar leaves the field during their Rugby Championship match against New Zealand’s. He has struggled to recover from that knee injury.

South Africa will put Ulster scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar through his paces in training this week before making a decision on both his availability for Saturday’s test with Ireland and the remainder of their northern hemisphere tour.

Pienaar is working his way back from a medial ligament injury picked up against New Zealand in Wellington in September and will test the knee in training over the next few days. Springbok doctor Craig Roberts told reporters on Monday that Pienaar would struggle to make the Dublin match, and that if he was a doubt for the match with England at Twickenham a week later, the team would consider calling up a replacement.

“The biggest decision we have to make this week is around Ruan Pienaar,” Roberts told reporters.

“We have assessed him and we’re relatively happy with where he is, but we are going to have see when he is running on the field in training………. see more at :- http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/autumn-internationals/springboks-to-test-ruan-pienaars-fitness-this-week-but-he-is-a-big-doubt-for-ireland-clash-30714175.html