Lood de Jager set to make injury comeback in Japan after long layoff

The World Cup-winning second rower has been sidelined since sustaining a serious shoulder injury in the Japan Rugby League One final between the Saitama Wild Knights and Toshiba Brave Lupus in May of last year.

De Jager suffered a severe rotator cuff injury, with one of the muscles completely torn off the bone, requiring the tendon to heal and reattach. He was hoping to return for the Boks in 2024 after missing the World Cup in France, only to be ruled out for the entire season.

De Jager had played 12 times for the Wild Knights in Japan after making his return from a health scare that saw him miss the Boks' successful World Cup defence.

On the eve of the Bok squad announcement for France, he was diagnosed with pericarditis - inflammation around the lining of the heart - which ruled him out of contention.

But he is hoping to "have another crack" in 2025 and will take his first step on his journey back to the Boks when he turns out for the Wild Knights in a training match against the Honda Heat.

The two Japanese clubs will face off in the league this weekend with an additional training match scheduled, which De Jager will feature in.

While several locks put their hands up for the Boks in 2024, De Jager stands a good chance of forcing his way back into the picture if he can prove his fitness considering he is one of the best lineout operators in the game.

He was a pivotal part of the team that won the World Cup in 2019 and defeated the British and Irish Lions in 2021.

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