Jake White has confirmed that mercurial Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen will spend the better part of next year on the sidelines recovering from a damaged knee ligament.

Goosen returned from the Bulls’ Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour this week after suffering a knee injury during the match against Cardiff in the third round of the tournament.

Scans revealed that Goosen had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and requires surgery.

“It is between seven and nine months,” White said of how long Goosen could be out for.

The 29-year-old was in sensational form in his first season with the Bulls, with many tipping him for a Springbok recall for the upcoming end-of-year tour.

However, White explained that the Bulls will be taking a slightly more conservative approach to his recovery and won’t be looking to rush him back into action.

“We are not in a hurry to get him back on the field,” White said.

“I don’t think it is based on whether you do it [return to play] for older players. Had we left Gio [Aplon] to do another month or two of rehab, would he have been guaranteed of not doing his ACL again? The answer from the medical staff is: ‘No.’

“With a guy like Johan Goosen, who is important to us going forward, I am going to err on the side of caution.

“If he is available for round one [next season] it will be great, but if it is only round three or four, then so be it,” White added.

“He is important to us and I don’t want to rush him.

“We have Morne [Steyn] and Chris [Smith], who are playing really well.”

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