Boks fret over Mapimpi’s World Cup availability after fractured cheekbone | Sport

Tonga’s Augustine Pulu clashes heads with South Africa’s Makazole Mapimpi. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images)

• Bok winger Makazole Mapimpi’s World Cup is seemingly in doubt after he fractured his cheekbone against Tonga.
• Mapimpi left the field in the first half after a head clash with Tonga No 9 Augustine Pulu.
• Bok coach Jacques Nienaber said Mapimpi will go for scans on Monday.
• For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.

Springbok winger Makazole Mapimpi’s Rugby World Cup is in
doubt after he sustained a facial injury in Sunday night’s 49-18 win over Tonga
in Marseille. 

READ | Rob Houwing’s Bok ratings: Fourie, Moodie to fore against feisty foes

Mapimpi left the field in the 28th minute after a head
clash with Tonga scrumhalf Augustine Pulu.

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber confirmed afterwards that
Mapimpi suffered a fractured right cheekbone and will require a scan on
Monday to see the extent of the injury.

“He unfortunately has a blowout fracture of his
cheekbone,” Nienaber said.

“He’ll probably go for specialist scans and stuff on Monday
morning to determine the severity of the injury.”

Visit News24’s Rugby World Cup 2023 zone for fixtures, pools, profiles, top stories

The Boks, meanwhile, all but sealed a
spot in the quarter-finals although there is a slim mathematical chance they
could miss out.

The two teams who will advance to the
quarter-finals will be decided when the world’s number one ranked team Ireland
– who beat the Boks last week – take on Scotland, ranked fifth, in Paris on
Saturday.

A win for Ireland would see them finish in top spot and South
Africa as runners-up.

However, should Scotland beat Ireland by a margin of 21 points
or more, with both teams scoring four tries to earn an attacking bonus point,
that would mean all three teams would finish pool play on 15 points.

That permutation would see the Scots topping the group on points
difference ahead of Ireland, in second spot thanks to their better head-to-head
record against the Boks, in third.

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