DE MAN
Faf de Klerk makes touching gesture to Craig Casey after Ireland scrum-half suffered concussion during South Africa test
The Yokohama Canon Eagles number nine took to social media as he wished a speedy recovery for Casey
SOUTH Africa scrum-half Faf de Klerk took to social media to wish his Craig Casey well after the Munster ace suffered a nasty head injury in yesterday's opening test in Pretoria.
The Irish player sustained a concussion during Ireland's 27-20 defeat to the Springboks at Lotus Versfeld.
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25-year-old Casey landed heavily on his head after after a perfectly legal tackle from the now former Munster team-mate RG Synman.
While the hit was a fair one, the player's head whipped off the hard summer turf at the Pretoria venue in worrying scenes.
Medic rushed to the pitch as they tended to the Ireland star in the first game of the two-test series.
The war of words heading into the game heavily dominated the headlines in the build-up to yesterday's opening test.
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But De Klerk changed that narrative after Casey's sobering injury had player's worried for the Irishman's health.
The Yokohama Canon Eagles number nine took to social media as he wished a speedy recovery for Casey.
De Klerk posted a snap of the pair swapping shirts and smiling, that photo was taken prior to yesterday's clash.
He captioned the post by saying: "Glad you OK!"
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Thankfully the Limerick native is ok, and is taking some time to recover after the concussive blow.
Speaking after the bruising encounter, Ireland boss Andy Farrell issued an update on the Munster ace as he confirmed the player had sustained the concussion.
It's unlikely the Limerick native will be able to play next week after Farrell revealed the news in the post-match presser.
The Irish gaffer said: “He’s concussed.
"He was still on the trolley when I came in at the end so obviously it was concerning enough but he was up and walking around, not quite himself yet but he’s up and about and wondering what’s going on.”
The second test between South Africa and Ireland takes place at Kings Park, Durban, next Saturday, July 13 at 4pm IST.