Juan Smith to hopefully return in 2013

After undergoing four operations on his injured achilles tendon, Juan smith has withdrawn from all rugby for 2012. The 30 year old has been struggling since the beginning of 2011 and has played very little rugby over the past year.

Link to article.

This is sad news for South African rugby, this guy has been the quintessenial professional rugby player and a hero to many kids and supporters.

I am gutted by hearing this, for me it couldn't happen to a better guy.

Sad news, although at least they're starting to look at a date for his return.

Echo your sentiments about him, a true gentleman from what I've read/seen/heard off the pitch and a true walking advertisement for "controlled aggression" and "the dirty work" on it. Never short of acting as a link man either.

I'd wondered where he'd been, and had no idea he damaged his Achilles. Hope he returns the player that he was, because he was excellent. Achilles damage is usually devastating, so hopefully significant time off will help him recover.

Greta player, and great guy, best of luck to him.

That is really crap news. I was looking forward to seeing him and Brussow together again. Would be the best flanker partnership in the world IMO. So who is going to take his place for the springboks? I assume Burger will play 7, but who will play 8? Spies?

yeah, most likely, don't forget about willem alberts though either.

I'd rather see Alberts or Vermeulen or someone than Spies to be honest.. not a huge Spies fan.

Love watching Alberts play. Him, Burger and Brussow would be a formidable backrow

Sorry to hear Biltong. I really rate Smith too.

Though you guys are truly blessed with depth in the backrow positions. My 4-8 picks for you would be Rossouw, Bekker, Brussow, Burger and Alberts at the moment. There's a lot of talent on the sidelines.

This guy is really hard done by. Injuries to the Achilles Tendon are notoriously easy to diagnose, but equally, they are hard to predict the best course of action to cure. I have seen a lot of very talented docs get it wrong. These are incredibly tightly packed, mostly parallel fibers, which take huge strain every minute of the day. Where and how it attaches, how the fibers come undone, if you will, or even strains on the anterior connections can cause incredible comnplications. And with a high stress professional athlete, the recovery canot be rushed. Shame. A good player. I hope he gets the time needed to get back to full health.

Let's hope by taking time off now and fixing it properly he can go on for many years after. Sometimes taking the big layoff is for the best even if it is a bitter pill to swallow.

My 4-8 picks for you would be Rossouw, Bekker, Brussow, Burger and Alberts at the moment

I'd have Kruger in there for his lineout skills.

Ah please dont play that back row against us in the summer.....

Will Burger be fit by then? I'd have thought

4 Kruger / Bekker
5 Etzebeth / Botha
BS Alberts / Burger
OS Broussouw
8 Spies / Vermulen

Would be sensible, depending on whether the experienced, but off form pair of Bekker and Botha are picked, or Etzebeth is chucked in.

I hope he will be all right,Achilles problems are tricky Ali Williams still isn`t the player he was in 2008.Hopefully JS will have better luck with his return.